Time To Team Up!
by Chocolate X My Mouth
Summary: After seeing that the akumas are growing stronger than ever, and now Mayura appearing more and more often, Master Fu makes a decision - its time for Ladybug and Chat Noir to get some more permanent help in the field... its time for Team Miraculous. (features nearly every superhero we've seen so far!)
1. Chapter 1

**Idk about anyone else, but I really wanna see Team Miraculous on screen. Even if its just the wielders we already know of, I think its time we got some permanent team action going!**

**So here, I hope to deliver on something that the show probably won't do until Season 4. I hope you enjoy! :)**

**(ps - Love Square, DjWifi/Renapace, Lukagami/Viperyuko ahead! :D Also, this takes place in my imagining of what could possibly happen after Loveater and before Miracle Queen)**

* * *

**_5:00 PM, Friday evening_**

"You wanted to see me, Master?" asked Marinette, stepping into Master Fu's residence.

"Yes, Marinette, and I am so glad you came," Master Fu said. "I... I am beginning to have some serious thoughts about my kwami distribution."

"Are you thinking about stopping where you are when it comes to choosing new wielders?" she asked.

"For now, yes," said Master Fu, "but to those who have already been given one, I am making a bold choice... I think it is time to let them have one permanently."

"Master!" Marinette exclaimed. "W-Well, not that this would b-be bad, its just-"

"It puts more people at risk, I am aware," Master Fu said, sitting down so he could make sure he could handle delivering the news. "But... you saw how tough Loveater was with just you and Chat Noir. I don't doubt either of you whatsoever, but what with how often Mayura appears these days alongside the already strengthening akumas, I don't see a problem with giving either of you an extra few hands in battle."

Marinette couldn't help but agree, no matter what she thought. It was true, the last akuma was particularly difficult, and with Mayura added to the mix, things got almost as bad as can be. Amokization was truly a pain in the ass...

"So... where does that put me?" asked Marinette, surprisingly comfy with the news.

"I would like you to deliver the Fox and Dragon Miraculouses back to their respective wielders," said Master Fu, handing her two boxes. "I have already sent Chat Noir to deliver the Snake, Horse, and Monkey to their own wielders."

"What about the Bee?" asked the designer.

"I am afraid that Ms. Bourgeois isn't currently the best choice for the Miraculous right now," said the guardian. "If she proves herself again, then I will gladly extend the Bee back to her. But, for now, I believe that it is best to leave her out of the equation."

"Okay. And what about Carapace?" asked Marinette.

"Wayzz, Mr. Lahiffe, and I will see to it that we all see each other often enough, do not fret," smiled Master Fu. "Now go - I do not wish to wake up Ms. Cesaire or Ms. Tsurugi."

"Yes Master," Marinette smiled, taking the boxes into her hand. "Thank you very much."

"And don't forget - ask them to meet you on top of this rooftop," said Master Fu, handing her an address, "so that way you and Chat Noir can all meet the wielders in a safe space."

"Got it," Marinette nodded. "Tikki, SPOTS ON!"

And with that, as Marinette transformed back into Ladybug, she leaped out the window to go and deliver the Miraculouses to their respective wielders.

She couldn't wait to see Alya and Kagami's faces when they got their kwamis back...

* * *

She actually gave Alya quite the scare when she knocked on her window!

But it was all instantly forgotten, and the blogger let in the superheroine without hesitation.

"Oh my gosh, Ladybug!" Alya smiled, looking down at the box. "I-Is that-"

"I think its time we gave Trixx a new, more permanent home," smiled Ladybug, handing over the box.

Alya gasped. "Y-You mean... I-I'm gonna be Rena Rouge _permanently?!_"

"Until I'm told otherwise!"

Ladybug's words were enough to send the blogger right into her arms, shouting a million thank-you's within about three seconds, before jumping back so she could say hi to her kwami.

And Trixx was more than pleased to see Alya again. "Hey Alya! Long time no see!" Trixx said. "Got any pink macarons handy?"

"Always!" Alya smiled. "Thank you so much Ladybug. I won't let you down, I promise."

"I know you won't, Alya," smiled Ladybug. "Or... should I say, Rena?"

"Aaah! It always sounds so awesome when you say that!" giggled Alya. "I'll be the best teammate ever Ladybug, I promise!"

"I have no doubt," Ladybug smiled happily.

Alya giggled excitedly, and then Ladybug read out the address to meet up at. She let out one last squeal of happiness as Ladybug yo-yo'd off to go deliver Longg back to Kagami.

-0-

"Hello Ladybug," said Kagami, opening her window so the heroine could climb in. "What are you doing here?"

"I have been told, by my superior," said Ladybug, "that we need to expand the team a little bit more. Akumas are getting rougher, so we're calling upon the help of other temporary wielders to become permanent wielders."

Kagami's eyes briefly sparkled. "Does... does this mean-"

"That we need Ryuko again?" Ladybug smiled, handing her the brown box.

Kagami opened the box, and out of nowhere, Longg manifested in front of the two girls. "Yo! Kagami!" he said.

"Hello again, Longg," smiled Kagami, before turning back to the bug themed superhero. "I shall not fail you, Ladybug. I'll be the best wielder I can be."

"That's what I like to hear," smiled Ladybug.

She then read the address out to Kagami, who agreed to meet up there at the time given.

"See you later, Kagami," Ladybug smiled. "Always glad to see you."

And with that, Ladybug jumped out the window to head back home and wait for 7:00 to roll around. She couldn't help but wonder how Chat Noir was getting on with his Miraculous deliveries... her kitty was probably already finished.

* * *

Adrien had actually been quite caught up for the remainder of the afternoon, and unable to deliver his Miraculouses to the boys he had been told needed them. But now, it was just turning evening, and he was ready to make up for lost time.

First stop - the Couffaine boat house, to deliver Sass to Luka.

Luka was a chill guy, and Adrien liked him a lot. He was a good kid; one of the best he'd come to know.

And that's why he had no problem tapping on his window - Luka let him in right away.

"Chat Noir? What's going on here?" asked Luka, wondering why the hero needed him.

"I actually wanted to deliver an old friend back to you, for good this time," smiled Chat, handing him the box.

"Woah... so rad, dude," Luka smiled, opening the box - and out manifested Sass.

"Luka! My guy!" Sass smiled.

"Sass! Hey buddy!" Luka said, letting the kwami give him a tiny lil fist bump. "So... this means I get to be Viperion again?"

"A very welcome addition to the team," smiled Chat, nodding, and then reading out the address to meet up at.

"Rad dude," Luka said, saluting him. "Catch you later man."

"You too," Chat smiled, jumping out the window to make his next stop.

-0-

Max honestly made a lot of sense for the choice of Pegase - teleportation was something that, no doubt, would take a lot of technological advancement to invent, and the most tech-wiz person that Adrien knew was Max. He wouldn't be surprised if Max accidentally did discover real, non-superpower teleportation!

"Hello, Chat Noir," Max said, letting the black-clad superhero in through his window. "What brings you here? Is there trouble that requires my assistance?"

"No, but we need to be ready for when there is," Chat smiled, setting down the brown box on Max's workbench. "And we need to prepare in a long-term way."

Max let out a faint gasp. "Do-Do you mean I get to be a permanent addition?"

"What else would this mean?" Chat said, smirking as Max excitedly opened the box.

"Ooh! Kaalki!" Markov said, hovering over. "My little flying horse friend! It is good to see you!"

"Oh, Markov! Max!" Kaalki smiled. "My friends! This is so cool!"

"You'll come in handy when it comes to getting out of sticky situations, Max," Chat said, patting Max on the shoulder. "Or... should I say, Pegase?"

Max laughed happily. "I cannot wait to show you all the video game designs I am working on, Kaalki! We can all test them out with Markov together!"

"Sounds like a blast!" Kaalki smiled.

"Thank you very much for this honor, Chat Noir," Max smiled, "I promise to do my very best as Pegase when the time is necessary."

"I don't doubt it, Max," smiled Chat.

He then read out the address to meet up at later, and with that, Chat jumped out the window to deliver one last Miraculous.

-0-

Of all the people that Adrien expected would receive a Miraculous... Lila Rossi was at the bottom of the list. But one up from her was Kim - he seemed like a bit of a loose cannon; although he loved the guy, he seemed quite wild at times. However, that just made him seem like a better choice for the Monkey Miraculous in his mind.

"Yo, Chat Noir!" said Kim, letting the cat superhero into his room. "What can I do you for?"

"Well, I've been tasked with delivering something to you," said Chat, "that, and... someone."

He placed the box down in front of Kim, and Kim sighed audibly - that was a first.

"Not this guy again," Kim muttered. "Called me a dummy. Let's see how he likes it."

"Wait, what?" Chat asked, raising a brow.

But Kim had already opened up the box - and out popped Xuppu.

"Hey! Poopoo!" Kim said, snickering.

"Dummy! Its Xuppu!" Xuppu yelled.

"Nah, pretty sure its poopoo," Kim snickered.

"I am going to stuff bananas down your mouth when you sleep," Xuppu muttered underneath his breath.

"...Anyway, we need more members for Team Miraculous," Chat said. "Welcome to the team for good, Roi Singe."

"Honored to be on it," Kim smiled, shaking Chat's hand. "Does it mean I have to live with this guy though?"

"Unfortunately," Chat shrugged, unable to hide the small smile that came to his face at Kim's disdain. He then read out the meetup address, and then jumped out of the window to head back home.

It was now a waiting game for 7:00 to roll around...

* * *

_**7:00 PM**_

Ladybug and Chat had been the first two to show up to the meet up spot, obviously - they both arrived twenty minutes early, shockingly. The two passed the time by making small talk, waiting for the other heroes to show up.

The first was Pegase - he had simply warped there.

"Greetings, Ladybug and Chat Noir!" smiled Pegase. "I am honored to be here."

"Good to see you, Pegase," Ladybug smiled.

And then, after Pegase arrived, Ryuko and Rena Rouge showed up at nearly the same time.

"Yo, Ladybug! Chat!" smiled Rena, waving as she walked over. "We got another girl!"

"Awesome!" Chat smiled. "Good to see you both."

"Good to see you two as well," Ryuko smiled. "Is anyone else showing up?"

"There should be three more guys, right?" asked Ladybug.

"I do believe so, m'lady," Chat nodded.

And it was only a few more moments before Viperion and Carapace arrived on the scene. Rena's eyes lit up at the sight of her boyfriend, and Carapace's smile widened hugely when he saw Rena - the two instantly hugged each other.

"Yo! Pegase!" Viperion said. "Good to see ya, dude!"

"Hello, Viperion!" smiled Pegase, shaking Viperion's hand. "Have you met Ryuko yet?"

"No, don't think I have," said the snake wielder, turning to the dragon wielder. "Hey there. Viperion. Pleasure to meet you."

"Ryuko," smiled Ryuko, shaking his hand as well. "The pleasure is all mine."

And then, last but certainly not least, Roi Singe hopped up onto the rooftop. "You would not believe how much I argued with Xuppu before coming here."

"Oh, we can believe it," Chat chuckled.

"Alright team, gather round," Ladybug said, clapping and motioning for all of the wielders to gather around her. "I want you all to know that, while this may seem like fun, this is a tremendous responsibility. As much as it might sting, you can't reveal your identity to anyone - _anyone. _Your identity is sacred and needs to be well-guarded so that Hawk Moth and Mayura can't capture someone who might know who you are."

"Speaking of sting - why isn't Queen Bee here?" asked Roi.

"For the reason she just pointed out," Chat said. "Chloe made her identity public. For now, its too big a risk to bring her back onto the team. Maybe after a while, when she learns to keep quiet about this stuff, she'll be back."

"You all don't play around," Viperion nodded.

"We can't afford to," Ladybug said. "And please - don't take this as me being mean or stern. I just want you all to be as safe as possible."

"You could never offend us, Ladybug!" Rena said proudly.

"And neither could you, Chat," added Carapace, for good measure. "You all know what's best."

"You've been doing this longer than all of us combined," said Ryuko, "so we can take your knowledge to heart."

"And keep it there, and be the best Team Miraculous there ever was!" Pegase smiled.

Ladybug and Chat smiled with pride - Pegase's comment couldn't be more true. And then, they both stuck out their fists in a fist bump motion.

"Pound it!" all of the team echoed, knowing exactly what to do.

Suddenly, a commotion could be heard in the distance - an akuma!

"It seems as if we'll get to put my comment to the test," Pegase smirked.

"Odds on Mayura being there to help out?" Chat asked Ladybug.

"More than likely," muttered Ladybug. "Team Miraculous, let's give this akuma what for!"

"Hell yeah!" Viperion said, fist-pumping into the air.

"Let's do it," Ryuko smiled.

Ladybug nodded to her and Chat's team, and the gang raced off to go fight the akuma.

Maybe now, the odds would be a bit more even...

* * *

**I want to state: the akuma that the gang's getting ready to fight is NOT Miracle Queen. She'll be the next akuma, and after that, a special challenger will appear... I bet y'all know who. ;)**

**I hope you guys have enjoyed this first chapter of this story! If you don't mind, you would make my day if you dropped a review. :D I hope I'll catch you in the next chapter! Thanks for reading! Love you all!**


	2. Chapter 2

The brand new, fresh out of the box Team Miraculous was charging towards the place where the akuma seemed to be coming from... and they all sighed when they saw who it was.

Gigantian.

"Not this kid again," Chat muttered. "I mean, August is just a baby! How low is Hawk Moth gonna stoop next? Akumatizing his own children?"

"Honestly, we probably shouldn't be surprised if that has already happened," Ladybug muttered. "The nerve of that guy..."

And indeed, Mayura was on the scene, with lookout spot on top of a roof nearby, and a lollipop sentimonster Amokization following close behind Gigantian. Again.

"How are we gonna handle all three of them?" Roi wondered aloud.

"Me and Chat will go after Mayura," said Ladybug. "Rena, Carapace, and Pegase, you all deal with Gigantian. Roi, Viperion, Ryuko - see if you can handle the sentimonster. Call out when you've found the object that I need to break, and I'll swing over. Got it?"

"You got it, Lady-bro," Carapace said, giving a thumbs up.

"Awesome," smiled Ladybug. "Kitty? You ready to go ruffle some feathers?"

Chat's little giggle when she made the pun was adorable. "Let's go pluck some, m'lady! Team Miraculous, GO!"

And with that, the groups all split off to go fight Mayura, Gigantian, and the lollipop sentimonster.

-0-

Mayura's confidence wasn't at all swayed when she saw Ladybug and Chat Noir jump up before her. "Well, hello again children," she said coolly, holding her fan close. "This is adult business, I'm afraid. Step aside and leave behind your Miraculouses or else-"

"You'll spank us?" Chat asked. "Gotta be honest, that would just be weird."

"And also," Ladybug smirked, "we're not alone anymore... we've got a few helping hands on the scene."

Mayura snarled, and looked over the rooftop to see the other six heroes racing towards her sentimonster and Gigantian.

"GAH!" she yelled angrily.

Meanwhile, the other six were still running strong into battle, not at all dissuaded by either of the villains they'd be facing.

"He's just a baby, remember that!" Rena shouted, unofficially leading the charge. "Don't hurt him, just try to get the akumatized object so Ladybug can break it!"

"Right!" all of the team chorused.

Suddenly, Gigantian tossed a car backwards - and it was heading straight for the team.

"SHELL-TER!" yelled Carapace, throwing up his shield. Everyone ducked underneath the neon green beam, and the car bounced off.

"Thanks for that, babe," said Rena.

"No problemo!" Carapace smiled. "Now, let's get that baby."

"Agreed," Pegase nodded, racing off with Rena and Carapace to go grab Gigantian's attention.

"Alright, I'm assuming we can hurt the sentimonster," said Viperion. "Let's just hope I'm not wrong on that..."

"Sounds right enough," said Ryuko. "Let's go make Ladybug and Chat Noir proud."

And with that, as Roi Singe let out an extremely loud battle cry, the other three raced off to go fight the sentimonster.

-0-

Gigantian babbled excitedly as he walked around, looking at all the cars parked on the street like they were toys ready to be played with. However, he really didn't want a toy right now - he wanted a lollipop. But he couldn't seem to find one... despite all the cars he checked!

"Damn, Hawk Moth really is one cruel bastard, whoever he is," Carapace muttered as he ran alongside Rena and Pegase. "This baby's just... a baby!"

"Did you hear him a second ago?" Pegase asked. "He tried to say 'lollipop'. Call me wild, but I do believe that's what he's looking for."

"Pegase, can you warp into a gas station or something and grab a box of lollipops?" asked Rena. "That may help slow him down."

"On it," Pegase nodded. "GIDDY-WARP!"

And with that, a portal summoned - Pegase walked through, running into a gas station and checking for lollipops. After a quick explanation that the college aged cashier didn't seem to even process, Pegase warped back into the street where Gigantian was running amok.

"Got em," said Pegase. "Now, who's gonna get Gigantian's attention?"

"Let me try something," said Rena, pulling out her flute. "I have an idea."

She then began to play the "Lollipop, Lollipop" song on her flute - a miraculous (pun fully intended) idea! Hopefully, August could put two and two together, and remember that that song meant lollipops.

And as it turned out, it did! He turned around, and when he saw Carapace and Pegase holding up several lollipops, he babbled excitedly and began to walk over to them.

That had been easy enough...

-0-

However, the sentimonster situation wasn't that good at all.

The attack had started out strong - Viperion and Roi got a few hits on it, and Ryuko used her air powers to blow it backwards.

It all was seemingly going downhill from there.

After the wind power ran out for Ryuko, the sentimonster smacked her extremely hard back into a brick wall. Viperion, horrified, wasted no time. "SECOND CHANCE!" he called out.

He was right back to the moment before Ryuko's crash. Not wanting to see any of his teammates hurt, he sprinted at full speed towards Ryuko.

He caught her right before the punch that would've sent her flying back, and shoved her out of the way. "ROI! KILL THE SON OF A BITCH!" yelled Viperion back to Roi.

"Got it!" Roi called. "MESS!"

As Roi activated his power to confuse the sentimonster, Ryuko was panting underneath Viperion's cover. "You... You saved me. That punch could have killed me... Thank you."

"Don't mention it," said Viperion, helping her back up. "What other nifty powers can you do to kill that thing?"

"I can channel water and lightning, if need be," said Ryuko. "You got any suggestions?"

Viperion couldn't help but smile at the lightning suggestion. "Mjolnir that S.O.B."

Ryuko smirked at the pop culture reference - she had recently watched the Avengers for the first time with Marinette, so she was currently all over that. "Sounds good," smiled the dragon wielder. "LIGHTNING!"

A dark cloud loomed over the two as Ryuko raised up her sword to channel the lightning, and the sword radiated with electricity as she charged to destroy the sentimonster.

Viperion smiled, thinking pretty confidently that he had already found his new favorite Miraculous wielder...

-0-

Ladybug, Chat, and Mayura weren't actually fighting - yet.

It was mostly questions back and forth - a distraction method that the two heroes had devised to keep Mayura on her toes, and not focused on the akuma or the amok.

"You two really think that Hawk Moth won't get your Miraculous? As foolish as you two can be sometimes?" Mayura laughed. "Pathetic, really... it truly is."

"At least we can admit foolishness," said Ladybug.

"You and Hawk Moth, on the other hand," continued Chat, "have egos that become more inflated than a hot air balloon when the tiniest mistake is made!"

"And since that's the case, you should really consider akumatizing children," added Ladybug.

"We shall take any means to acquire your Miraculouses!" yelled Mayura. "Even if they are drastic, that's just the way it has to be."

"Not when you could just say the magic word," Chat giggled.

"ENOUGH!" Mayura roared. "You little children are fools compared to us."

And with that, Ladybug and Chat finally got to have a go at the villainous Peacock Miraculous wielder.

They had all been looking forward to this for a while now...

-0-

Rena continued to play the lollipop song on her flute, swaying and dancing back and forth in hopes of keeping Gigantian interested.

And so far, it was working a treat... and Gigantian was now sitting before them, eagerly holding out his hands for the sweet.

"Here ya go buddy!" Carapace smiled. "Go on, get the lollipop!"

Gigantian, however, was more interested in Rena's song and dancing. He giggled as he watched her prance back and forth, clapping along to the best of his ability.

"Aww... that's sweet," Pegase smiled, unable to not be touched by the innocent baby.

Suddenly, a purple visor-of sorts appeared in front of Gigantian's eyes, and Hawk Moth shouted at the baby. "_**What are you doing, Gigantian?! She's clearly trying to distract you! Steal her Miraculous NOW!**_"

But Gigantian ignored the order. And then...

He snapped his fingers.

Well, as best as he could, but it still counted.

And a loud scream from Roi a couple hundred yards away was enough to tell them that something was up. Rena quit playing her song, but quickly remembered what the scream probably meant.

"Amoks can be snapped out of existence!" she said. "Gigantian must've snapped, which means the amok is gone now!"

"And Roi was probably on top of the thing," Pegase chuckled.

Gigantian was now sucking on a lollipop that Carapace had dropped onto the ground, and the two guys began to clean up the mess so they could take it back to the gas station. Viperion, Ryuko, and Roi - who was rubbing his head, confirming Rena's suspicions - raced back over.

"We got the feather thing," said Ryuko, holding up a baby rattle. "Did you get the akuma?"

"No, we're waiting on Ladybug," said Viperion. "Where is she?"

"Still fighting Mayura, by the looks of it," Carapace said.

The team then looked at one another, before nodding.

Gigantian would stay put for sure, with all those sweets in front of him. They needed to help out their leader.

-0-

Mayura was actually quite powerful - powerful enough to subdue Chat and Ladybug separately. The two got back up, yes, but it was getting increasingly harder to do so... Mayura was evidently wearing heels before her transformation, because no shoe could cause more pain when delivering a kick quite like high heels.

"HEY, FEATHERS!"

Rena's voice caught Mayura's attention, and she turned to face the group of six heroes that had gathered up on the adjacent rooftop with a scowl planted on her face.

"You all," she hissed.

"Let our bro and sis go, or else we're gonna show you a whole new definition of 'whoop-ass'!" yelled Carapace.

Mayura chuckled. "With what? That baby rattle?"

Roi angrily hid the object behind his back. "Its not my primary weapon, FYI!"

Ladybug and Chat took the opportunity, and jumped at once to the other rooftop to stand alongside their teammates.

"This isn't over," she growled. "Hawk Moth will have your Miraculouses - ALL OF THEM!"

"Then he'll have to kill us all first," spat back Chat.

"Well, maybe so," Mayura chuckled grimly, "but... it seems as if Gigantian is bored again."

The team looked back, and to their horror, Gigantian was getting up again. Ladybug had Roi toss her the rattle as fast as possible, and then swung down to go after his bracelet. Meanwhile, however, Mayura jumped off to God-knows-where.

"She's getting away!" Ryuko exclaimed.

"Let her go," Chat said. "We've given her a message to send to Hawk Moth - he's got an army to stop now. Now, let's go give Ladybug a hand."

And with that, the seven heroes jumped down, and raced over to Ladybug to watch the purification of the akuma and amok.

"No more evil doing for either of you," smiled Ladybug, opening her yo-yo and placing in the feather, and then catching the akuma. "Gotcha!"

She then opened it, and the team watched in happiness and satisfaction as the purified butterfly flew off, and the feather was gone with the wind. "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

And as her yo-yo was tossed in the air, since Lucky Charm wasn't necessary for this fight, everything damaged by Gigantian and the sentimonster was repaired. August was back on the ground, and happily gnawing on the lollipop he was already chewing on.

"Oh, August! Sweetie!" his mother exclaimed, running over with tears in her eyes as she picked him up off the ground. "Oh, thank you Ladybug, thank you... everyone!"

"You're welcome, ma'am," said Ladybug. "Sorry that this happened. Hawk Moth has stooped so low to re-akumatize children, it would seem."

"He's adorable," Rena smiled, looking at the baby with a happy face.

"Thank you all," she said, before walking off with her son.

"Pound it!" all the team said, doing an eight way fist bump.

"Everyone, go recharge and meet us at the exact spot we met up in half an hour," said Chat. "I wanna treat you all to something, because our first battle as a team needs to be celebrated!"

"Aww, Chat, you don't have to-" said Viperion.

"No, I insist," said Chat. "And you all will like it, trust me!"

Everyone filed out, one by one thanking Chat for whatever he was about to do, went off to go recharge.

"You're such a good kitty," Ladybug smiled, rubbing Chat's head. "Don't know what I did to deserve you."

"Aw, m'lady!" Chat said, blushing and rubbing the back of his head.

With one final wave goodbye, the two went off in their separate directions.

* * *

_**7:30 PM**_

She loved her kitty... she really did...

But of all places - why did he have to choose her parent's bakery?! Where she lived?!

"This is my favorite place in all of Paris," Chat smiled, knocking on the door in a rhythmic way.

"Uhh... not that I'm complaining here, but the sign clearly says 'closed'," said Pegase.

"Oh, don't worry, I've gone through this routine before," said Chat. "Its okay - as long as you don't mind leftovers!"

"From the best bakery in Paris? Never!" Rena said.

And then, Sabine Cheng answered the door, pleasantly surprised to see all the superheroes. "My my, Chat Noir! Who all have you brought here tonight?"

"This is Ladybug's new superhero team!" said Chat proudly. "This is Rena Rouge, Carapace, Viperion, Pegase, Roi Singe, and Ryuko! We just took down our first akuma as a team! Right, m'lady?"

"Y-Yeah!" Ladybug stuttered - she knew her mom knew about her, but was worried that Chat may try to wander into her room to say hi to her - as Marinette! But she had a feeling she'd be okay... let's hope it would be true. "I couldn't be prouder of them - but it was Chat's idea to come here!"

"Well, please, come on in! You all must be hungry, and we have plenty of perfectly good leftovers that won't eat themselves!" Sabine smiled.

After everyone thanked Mrs. Cheng, they all stepped into the dining area of the restaurant as Sabine called out for Tom's help, who was more than happy to offer it when he saw the abundance of superheroes that he knew needed feeding.

And, just her luck, Sabine made an excuse for Marinette, informing Chat she was napping upstairs after a long day - oh, she truly had the best mama ever!

"So, what did you guys think?" asked Ladybug, now much calmer thanks to the excuse. "About being out in the field?"

"Honestly? Knowing we're gonna be doing it more often kinda makes me want more akumas!" Roi chuckled.

"It was quite fun," Ryuko nodded. "What about you, Viperion? Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, it was awesome!" Viperion laughed. "Especially when you used your lightning powers on your sword like Mjolnir!"

"Hold up, I missed that?" Carapace exclaimed. "No way!"

"So that's what that lightning cloud was," Chat laughed.

And then, even after the food was brought and thanks was given to the Dupain-Chengs times a million (this bread was heavenly!), the team still found themselves talking amongst them about how awesome they were in combat.

Eventually, though, it came time for them all to go back home. Only Chat Noir ended up remaining - and then, surprise surprise, Marinette came downstairs!

"Kitty?" she asked, pretending to be oblivious to the dinner that had just happened between her and Chat. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Princess! Ladybug and I have a full team now!" he said happily. "But we just came by to grab a quick regeneration snack - I've said it before, but your parents' bread is just heavenly!"

"Aww, how cool!" Marinette smiled. "But don't worry, kitty - you'll still be my favorite."

"Aww, Princess," Chat said, blushing lightly. "I'd love to stay and _chat, _but I've gotta dash. Talk sometime over the weekend?"

"Gladly," smiled Marinette. "Happy trails, kitty!"

"Bye Princess!" Chat smiled, waving as he headed out the door and back to his home.

Marinette sighed, shaking her head happily...

Gosh, she loved that stupid, adorable cat...

...Wait.

Oh, oh no...

She couldn't be... right?

There's no way...

There was absolutely, positively, one-hundred percent, NO WAY she was _crushing on Chat Noir!_

* * *

**Poor little Mari... poor cinnamon bun. XD I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! We'll get to see more of the team together in the near future! Until then, I hope you'll stick around for that! **

**As always, reviews make my day! :D Thank you guys so much for reading! See you guys next time! Love you all!**


	3. Chapter 3

After the weekend, that Monday at school was one that Marinette was sure would be the closest she had come to revealing herself as Ladybug.

And the only reason was because of how much everyone was talking about the newly formed Team Miraculous - shaky cellphone videos had captured the tightly-knit team working like a dream, and even some footage of her and Chat fighting Mayura was recorded! Needless to say, she was so proud of the team that she and Chat now lead...

Then came along Chloe.

"Ugh! Sabrina, can you believe it?!" she yelled aloud. "Ladybug, my best friend, wouldn't invite _ME - _Queen Bee! - to join Team Miraculous?! Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"

Marinette couldn't help but smirk - maybe, if you weren't so careless with your identity, you'd still be Queen Bee!

"Hey, Marinette!"

A sudden call from a boy she knew the voice of oh-so well snapped her out of her thoughts, and she spun around to see none other than Adrien Agreste walking towards her.

"H-Hi Adrien!" Marinette waved. "What a-are you doing?"

"I just wanted to ask if you've seen the news lately," he said, an irremovable smile on his lips. "Did you see how Ladybug and Chat Noir have a superhero team now?"

"Oh, y-yeah!" she smiled. "That's awesome! Right?"

"Of course it is!" Adrien beamed. "Who's your favorite new hero?"

"Oh, come on, don't make me choose," Marinette giggled - that was a Ladybug moment. She couldn't possibly choose who she liked best, especially when she already knew her normal favorite! "You know what it is anyway. Chat Noir - he will always be my favorite."

Adrien's gaze softened, and he looked at Marinette with an adoring smile. "That... that's really sweet of you, Marinette. Ladybug's still my favorite, hehe."

"Awesome!" Marinette smiled.

Suddenly, the two looked over, and saw Kim and Max talking with Rose and Juleka...

Kim had a gold circlet on his head, and Max was wearing a dark pair of sunglasses.

They both looked, as Chloe would so kindly put it - "Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!", but in the absolute best way possible. Adrien snickered, knowing exactly why they had these accessories, while Marinette just thought it looked kinda funny.

"Oh, hey Adrien! Marinette!" said Kim. "Ya like my new circlet?"

"It looks cool, man!" Adrien said, giving a thumbs up.

"Thanks!" Kim smiled. "Marinette? What do you think?"

"I-I think it looks awesome!" Marinette giggled.

Kim beamed with pride, and walked back over to Max. Adrien and Marinette both snickered as he walked away.

"Tell me that doesn't look kinda stupid," Adrien giggled.

"Y-Yeah," Marinette had to admit - it did look kinda weird for a jock to be wearing a circlet, especially with a hoodie on as well.

"Well, we better head to class," Adrien said, looking down at his phone before shutting it off. "Wanna walk with me there?"

"S-S-Sure!" Marinette stuttered.

Well, this day had already started off well enough... couldn't get much better than that, right?

* * *

**_11:00 AM_**

The class was currently in literature, the most controversial subject in the entire school - at least, when it came to this class. You either adored it or hated it. There was _liter_ally (yeah I went there) no in between.

But as of now, right before class started, Mme. Bustier had to go get some copies for the quiz, so everyone was either chatting amongst themselves or studying the material they hadn't bothered to read the night before.

And there was one voice that stuck out louder than all the rest - Chloe's.

_She was still complaining about not getting her Miraculous back!_

And her complaints were starting to drive everyone mad - including Adrien! He never gets mad! ...Well, not never, but it took a lot to push him over the edge.

"Chloe, no offense, but maybe you going public with your identity was a... mistake?" asked Kim.

"Mistake?! I made a mistake?! NEVER!" she scoffed. "Ladybug's probably just waiting to deliver mine to me in the most dramatic and beautiful way possible!"

"There's a reason why Ladybug doesn't want public identities when it comes to wielders," Max said. "It puts them in danger for unwilling akuma-"

"Shut up, nerd!" yelled Chloe. "What do _you _know about Miraculouses?!"

"Probably a lot more than you do," Alya said underneath her breath. Marinette couldn't help but agree with her best friend's comment...

"Chloe, maybe if you see Ladybug, own up to the mistake?" Nino suggested calmly. "Maybe then she'll allow you to become Queen Bee again."

"A dumb suggestion, really," Chloe said. "If I had thought of it, however, it would've been a perfect idea!"

Nino nearly rammed his head through his desk with how hard he slammed it down. Honestly, it had Adrien concerned if his best friend had just received a concussion.

"And another thing - why is stupid Chat Noir still on the team anyway?! He's useless!" Chloe said.

Marinette gritted her teeth - you did _not _just insult her kitty like that! "Oh, really? Then, when did your power come in handy in place of Chat's? If you can name just one time like that, I'll believe every word you say - and steal Nino's hat!" Marinette suddenly spit out.

Adrien turned back in shock, and in somewhat-gratitude - his full extent of thankfulness couldn't be shown without transforming on the spot and planting a kiss right on Marinette.

"_Gah! Adrien, don't think like that! Mari's just a friend!_" he thought to himself.

"...You did not just say that to me," Chloe hissed.

"Don't insult Chat Noir in front of me," Marinette replied. "He's one of my best friends, and I draw the line at trash talking my best friends!"

Adrien's heart was full of warmth and happiness... he was definitely visiting his princess tonight!

"GAH!" Chloe said, throwing her hands up. "I just wish an akuma would come already so I could have powers again!"

"...Chloe, that's not a good wish!" Adrien said. "Don't say that! You know Hawk Moth will probably take it literally!"

"Oh, Adrikins, I would never harm you!" said Chloe. "Its only these losers I would do anything to."

"They aren't losers, they're my friends," Adrien said, keeping his calm demeanor about him and impressing all of his fellow classmates. "And you owe them an apology."

"Adrikins... you're supposed to have my back!" Chloe whined.

"I can't do that when you just insult them out of the blue, and throw a tantrum about Ladybug making a rational choice," Adrien said. "Please, Chloe, just apologize. It'll be much easier if you do."

"SHIT!" Alix loudly yelled. "AKUMA!"

Every student instantly ducked underneath their desk, but before Chloe could rationalize the situation (which, let's be honest, would've taken a while anyway), the akuma found its way into her purse.

_**"Hello, Miracle Queen. I am Hawk Moth - but let's be honest, you need no introduction to me anymore. We've become well-rounded acquaintances, yes? Anyway, I do believe you know the drill. I'll grant you the power to perform miracles and curses, in exchange for one thing... as many Miraculouses as you can gather! As long as you get the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous, however, we will have a deal."**_

"Time to reign down hellfire on all those who've made me mad!" yelled Chloe.

As the black and oily mist consumed her, the class all looked at each other with one message shared between them.

RUN.

Kim and Max tried to leap over their desks, but seeing as neither were in their Miraculous forms, they both tripped and nearly broke something - thankfully, they turned out okay. Alya and Nino both sped out together, running off to a secure location together so they could transform - they both knew each other's identities already, so it was all good.

Adrien and Marinette, meanwhile, both split off in opposite directions, as the rest of the class fled the scene as well.

Both of them just hoped that the rest of their team would show up...

* * *

Ladybug running through the halls of the College wasn't a new sight to see, but it was enough to concern Kagami, who was coming back from using the restroom when she saw her team co-leader running towards her at top speed.

"AKUMA!" Ladybug yelled quickly, swinging out of the school thanks to the open area of the courtyard.

Kagami hurriedly hid in a supply closet, and put on her choker necklace.

"What's up, Kags?" asked Longg, flying out.

"Akuma, we need to hurry," said Kagami. "LONGG, BRING THE STORM!"

Kagami was then transformed into Ryuko in a brilliant flash of light, and immediately stepped out of the supply closet - nearly crashing into Viperion.

"Woah, Ryuko!" said Viperion. "Did I hit you there?"

"No no, you're fine," said Ryuko. "Let's get out there and help Ladybug with whatever akuma is out there now."

"Sounds like a plan," Viperion nodded.

As the two got ready to leap out of the school and race off, however, they spotted Rena Rouge and Carapace racing off in the distance... holding hands.

"You think they got something going?" asked Viperion.

"It is none of my business... so probably," Ryuko nodded.

Viperion smirked, and charged off into the distance with Ryuko leading the way.

* * *

"Ladybug!" said Roi, sliding down onto the rooftop the hero and her teammates were placed on. "Took me forever to find you all."

"Why didn't you just call me?" asked Ladybug.

"...Yeah, with the benefit of hindsight," Roi nodded, "that seems like a good idea."

"What's the situation today, m'lady?" asked Chat.

"Chloe Bourgeois - again," Ladybug sighed - the rest of the team groaned in unison. "I know, I know - but this time, she can perform miracles and curses."

"So... we're dealing with God here?!" Carapace exclaimed. "We are NOT gonna win if we're fighting God."

"No, we are not fighting God," Ladybug said. "Its just miracles and curses - no creation powers, thankfully. Because THAT would be a challenge."

"So, what are we waiting for?" Pegase asked. "Let's go kick ass!"

"Let's do it!" Chat smiled. "M'lady?"

"I'm with you all," smiled Ladybug. "Let's go!"

-0-

Miracle Queen was already causing havoc to people who she hadn't even met before! She'd just randomly pick out an individual who she would never have remembered even if she tried, and planted a curse upon them. And the best part for her was that it could be any curse she desired! It was mostly annoying things, like itches or sudden sickness, and she had yet to find a person to use a perfect curse on...

And then, Team Miraculous - the team she was no longer a part of! - jumped down in front of her.

"Chloe! Come on now, this isn't what you want!" Ladybug yelled.

"You're WRONG, Ladybug!" Miracle Queen yelled. "This is EXACTLY what I want! Whatever curse I desire, my worst enemies will have to suffer from!"

"Odds on this stemming from not getting to sleep in this morning and actually go to school," Viperion laughed.

"ENOUGH!" Miracle Queen yelled. "For that, CURSE OF ENTRAPMENT!"

Viperion stood frozen in horror as a blast of hot, steaming magma came down towards him. He found himself unable to move, or even activate Second Chance!

"I GOT YOU!"

Chat Noir suddenly jumped in front of Viperion...

And took the blast for him.

But he fell to the ground, encased in now-frozen solid magma.

"KITTY!" Ladybug yelled, racing over to the shell that Chat was now trapped in, horrified that she had just lost her partner for good...

And then...

She heard the faintest, softest "Cataclysm!" from inside the encasing Chat was in.

Within seconds, the rocks flew off of his shell, and he burst out with a smirk on his face. "Wouldn't ya know - I've got nine lives!"

"Oh, thank God!" Ladybug exclaimed, hugging her partner. "Don't EVER scare me like that again!"

"I'll try not to, m'lady," Chat smiled, hugging back. "This cat's not in the cradle just yet!"

"Killing you would've actually been a lot more fun," Miracle Queen said. "Let's try this again. CURSE OF BINDING!"

"That's an enchantment though," Carapace muttered, dodging the attack along with everyone else as a blinding beam of neon purple and indigo shot past them; no one wanted to know what it could do, and binding didn't sound particularly suitable for fighting. Rena, Carapace, Viperion, Ryuko, Pegase, and Roi had all huddled up behind a car, and Ladybug and Chat kept Chloe busy.

"Alright, we need a game plan," muttered Rena. "Anyone? Any ideas?"

"I can try and distract her," offered Roi. "Its just one person this time! At least Mayura isn't here-"

The sound of the car that a good portion of the team had gathered behind was enough to send them into a shocked silence, and the six who had gathered behind the car looked up at the roof of it...

Mayura stood there.

"Someone say my name?" she asked, smirking.

"Yes, but we weren't being polite," Pegase said, deadpanning as he stared at one of Team Miraculous' arch enemies.

"How rude of you children," Mayura said, her smirk vanishing in place of a scowl.

The entire gang then disbanded as fast as they could, right before Mayura could try and stomp one of their heads in or something. As she did a front flip off of the car, she came face-to-face with Ryuko.

"Ms. Tsurugi," Mayura smirked.

"You know me?" Ryuko asked.

"I do," she smiled, but not warmly. "You are quite an impressive girl, Kagami. Its a shame we can't be friends... though, if you wish, this could change."

"I'm all kinds of stubborn," Ryuko said, her stern expression never leaving. "Besides, I'm not the monkey in the middle here."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Roi bounced up and over Mayura, bonking her on the head with his staff - extremely hard too! She rubbed her head for a moment, which gave Ryuko an opening.

"LIGHTNING!" she yelled, holding up her sword - it turned blue, and a dark cloud loomed over her as she began to channel the lightning through her sword. After it came down, she hurled the bolt at Mayura, who got hit. She was sent flying backwards, into the very car she had jumped off from.

"DAMN!" Viperion yelled, almost laughing. "That was awesome!"

"Thank you," Ryuko smiled.

Mayura hissed, standing back up and rubbing her head... Nathalie knew she was gonna have a migraine after this.

And the lightning bold had short-circuited her earpiece! Now she could only hope that Gabriel kept his cellphone on later...

"Mayura?!" Chat exclaimed, only now realizing she was here, along with Ladybug. "Great. Now there's two annoyances in the field."

"How dare you?!" Miracle Queen exclaimed.

"C'mon Kitty, let's finish this," Ladybug said. "EVERYONE! TOGETHER!"

"Dance battle?" Roi asked, rushing over.

"...No, not this time," Ladybug said. "LUCKY CHARM!"

She threw her yo-yo in the air, and out of all the ladybugs came out... a hand mirror.

"Huh?" she said, raising a brow.

"You'd think, by now, they'd start becoming a bit more obvious," Carapace muttered.

"Enough banter!" Mayura said. "Miracle Queen, you know what to do. You have your orders, yes?"

"Indeed I do," she smirked. "CURSE OF BEWILDERMENT!"

Right before the blast came from her staff, Ladybug saw the staff itself light up with that familiar hue of red and black polka-dots to go with it. Huh, it was simpler than she thought! She really had to stop over-complicating this stuff...

"Right back at ya!" Ladybug smirked, holding up the mirror to deflect the blast. It sent the ray right back at Miracle Queen, and hit her right in the chest...

She was so dazed afterwards, it was almost comical!

Mayura, however, was pissed. "Good luck getting the akumatized object - I'll guard her until the curse wears off!"

"Curses last a long time," Viperion said. "You'll be here a while if we don't get you first."

"And, besides," Pegase laughed, "we still have some tricks up our sleeves. GIDDY WARP!"

Suddenly, a portal opened above Mayura's head, and underneath her feet. She gasped, falling through both of them almost instantly, and nearly becoming a gag for the team to watch. With no struggle whatsoever, Rena and Carapace walked over to Miracle Queen, who was acting like a drunk person, and pried her Gucci purse off of her (how extra could Chloe get?!).

"Here you are, Lady-bro," Carapace smiled, handing her the purse.

"Thanks, dude," Ladybug smiled, taking the purse and happily ripping it apart - though it took a lot of power to do so! "Alright little akuma, no more evil-doing for you."

After de-evilising the akuma, and tossing the hand mirror in the air, the ladybugs purified all that had been damaged...

And Mayura, in hilarious fashion, fell right on her back when Pegase's portals closed.

"This IS NOT OVER!" Mayura yelled.

"Unfortunately, we all know this," Chat said, rolling his eyes. "And next time, tell Hawk Moth to show up in person!"

Mayura, however, just... smirked.

"Will do, Chat Noir," smirked the peacock-themed supervillain. "You have no idea what great of an idea you have just given me."

And with that, Mayura was off - and Chat was left worrying his head off. What had he just done?

"Its okay, kitty," Ladybug said, patting his shoulder. "She's probably just saying that to scare you. Don't let it get to you!"

"I-I won't," Chat nodded. "I just... I'd really not like Scarlet Moth to come back."

"Oh yeah, he's nuts," agreed Rena. "He comes back and we are dead."

"Well, you've got a few extra helping hands if he does!" smiled Roi, winking at his leaders.

"Yes, do not fear!" added Pegase. "We shall be ready to offer our assistance whenever you may need it."

"What's a team without good partners?" asked Ryuko, smiling.

"UH, HELLO?! YOU ALL FORGETTING SOMETHING?!"

The whole team turned around, and there was a very disgruntled and ticked off Chloe Bourgeois standing in front of them.

"Why am I not on the team again?!" Chloe shrieked.

"Simple solution here, take it as you wish - keep your identity secret for a few years or so, and you'll be back on," Ladybug said.

"YEARS?!" Chloe shouted. "UGH! THIS IS... THIS IS RIDICULOUS! UTTERLY RIDICULOUS!"

As she stormed off, presumably to go whine about this to her father, the team shared their now iconic eight-way fist bump.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter guys! Will Scarlet Moth return? Will Team Miraculous have to go through the Heroes Day scenario once more? We shall have to find out in the upcoming chapter! :D**

**And also - I hope you guys don't mind, but I'll be adding another class member to the team next chapter! I have a feeling she definitely deserves it, bless the poor gal's soul... any guesses as to who she is? :)**

**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! That's all for now - I hope to see you next chapter! Thanks for reading! Love you all! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

Gabriel wasn't exactly pleased with Nathalie's continuous failure as Mayura - not at all.

The moment she came back, back in her civilian form as Nathalie, he requested that she come to his office immediately. Nathalie could tell she was in for it now...

"Honestly, Nathalie," Gabriel muttered, "these 'heroes' are just kids! I don't understand how you and I, working together, could make so many foolish errors... especially with you out in the field!"

"With all due respect sir, they do now have eight heroes on that team, all of a sudden," said Nathalie. "It is tough to take down eight at once."

"And that's it - you only need Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses! Not all eight of them!" he exclaimed. "The others are just an added bonus! Don't focus on them!"

_You weren't the one who just got Mjolnir-ed by a sword wielding fencer, and Portal 2'd by a horse themed superhero..._

However, even though Gabriel didn't see anything good about this situation, Nathalie's frown turned into a smirk.

"Sir... out in the field, Chat Noir said something that gave me an... idea," she said, smirking.

"And that is?" he asked, rubbing his forehead.

"Go out there and face the team yourself," she suggested. "And in addition - do it as Scarlet Moth. Turn me back into Catalyst, and bring back all the akumas that you think would be worthy of re-challenging them. Those who made a dent when the first Heroes Day rolled around, and fresh, new akumas that managed to make a good push themselves. And plus, the kids were worried about you coming back as Scarlet Moth - overheard it as I was fleeing the scene."

Gabriel's frown was suddenly gone, and his migraine had suddenly disappeared.

"Give me one half-hour," smirked Gabriel, taking her hands into his. "You and I are gonna rain down hell on Paris together."

His evil smirked was matched by Nathalie - they were both ready to absolutely _obliterate _Team Miraculous.

* * *

**_12:00 PM_**

After returning to the school, all of the students were congregating in the courtyard instead of being in class - as it turned out, a lot of students had been affected by Miracle Queen's wrath, and they were letting them all off a bit early for the day.

By some random chance - a particular group of eight kids found themselves conversing in the courtyard.

Marinette, Adrien, Alya, Nino, Max, Kim, Luka, and Kagami.

"Jesus, did you hear what happened to Nathanael? Dude got cursed with 'gelatin' and he couldn't move!" Luka exclaimed.

"She needs to calm down, otherwise Hawk Moth will make her an actual murderer," muttered Kim.

"I still refuse to believe that Sabrina got blessed with 'usefulness'," said Max. "I mean, come on - she does everything for Chloe! Why wouldn't she think she's useful?"

At that very moment, Sabrina came through the courtyard, clutching her books to her chest and walking as briskly as possible.

"Hey! Sabrina!" Marinette said, chasing after her.

"Wh-What do you want?" Sabrina asked, clearly not happy at the moment.

"I just wanted to tell you - don't feel like Chloe's blessing was the first time you've been useful," she said. "Sabrina, I don't know how you do it, but you are so useful sometimes that even I get jealous! What I'm trying to say here is that... you've had that blessing since you were a little girl. Never let anyone tell you different, okay?"

Sabrina had perked up ever so slightly, and seemed... happy.

"Th-Thank you, Marinette," Sabrina smiled. "That... that means a lot to hear from you."

"Its nothing if not the truth, though!" Marinette smiled. "Now, if you want to, go talk to some friends - let's pass on the motivation!"

"Y-You got it!" Sabrina smiled. "For sure! I think Nathanael could use a little cheering up too..."

Sabrina was now walking outside to the outdoor walkway to go cheer up Nathanael, and Marinette walked back inside.

"That was really kind of you, Marinette," Kagami smiled.

"Yeah, way to go with the motivation!" Adrien added, smiling as wide as he could.

"Th-Thank you!" Marinette beamed. "But really, it was nothing - Sabrina needs as much motivation as possible, what with how much she puts up with Chloe."

"Couldn't agree more," Alya nodded.

However, Nino hadn't said much - he was instead looking to the skies.

"Whatcha looking at, babe?" asked Alya.

"The literal definition of the 'ah shit, here we go again' meme," Nino said.

The other seven looked up...

And there was a swarm of scarlet butterflies setting down on the school.

"SHIT!" Kim yelled.

"Here we go again!" Max exclaimed.

"My point illustrated," Nino said, looking into an imaginary camera.

Adrien instantly pulled Marinette to the ground, and put his hand over her head - in a bizarrely similar way that he had done so a long time ago, on the first Heroes Day. Alya and Nino had also ran away, also in similar fashion.

"I'm still not gonna let anything happen to you, Marinette! Promise!" Adrien said.

"Th-Thank you!" Marinette stuttered.

"We gotta get out of here," Kim said. "C'mon Max! You're short - I'll carry you on my back!"

"What the-I would rather die!" Max exclaimed, pulling back from where Kim had grabbed him.

"Dude! We're running out of time!"

"Nope. I'm gonna die."

In short, Kim was running away in a few seconds, with a very angry Max on his back.

"If you had to be akumatized again," Luka asked Kagami, "which one would you be? Oni-Chan or Riposte?"

"Riposte looked cooler," Kagami said, "but I think Oni-Chan. I could kill Lila easier."

"Fair enough," Luka said. "But I'd prefer if we were both safe - so we should probably get out of here."

"Right, good point," Kagami nodded, racing off with Luka - those two seemed closer than before...

-0-

Outside, Master Fu was walking past the school, and when he saw the scarlet swarm of butterflies coming in, he was sent into panic mode, diving around the back alleyway to make sure he wouldn't be spotted.

"What are you going to do, Master?" asked Wayzz. "I need to get back to Nino, but you must deliver the bracelet!"

"I am aware Wayzz," said Master Fu. "But... I think I have an idea. I always carry a spare box with me, just in case - I think its time I find someone additional for the team."

"Well, who is it gonna be?" the kwami asked.

"I shall see, hopefully sooner rather than later," Master Fu said, walking out and holding the kwami box in his hands.

As he walked past, and in front of the school, he saw a ginger-haired girl helping out a fellow red-haired student build up enough confidence to make a break for it...

Well, if this was a mistake, he could just as easily take the Miraculous back.

After the red haired student left, he "dropped" the box and went back to the school.

"Uhm... sir! Sir, you dropped this!" Sabrina said, trying to hand him back the box - but he was already gone by the time she could try and do so.

Out of pure curiosity, and wanting to see if it was really just a box or not, she opened it...

And out popped a blinding flash of light, and a tiny little dog-like creature floating in front of her.

"W-Woah! A-Are you a kwami? One of those things Ladybug and Chat Noir use to transform?" Sabrina asked.

"Yep! Name's Barkk, pleasure to meet you, human!" smiled Barkk. "I've been given to you to help them out, actually!"

"Wh-What?!" Sabrina exclaimed. "I-I can't do that! I'm nowhere near as strong enough as them!"

"You don't have to be!" smiled Barkk. "All you have to do is find me a good chicken place afterwards, and we'll be an unstoppable duo!"

"...Okay, okay," Sabrina nodded. "Anything to be useful!"

"That's the spirit, human!" he beamed. "Now, just put on that little headband, and we can get this walk on the road!"

"Alright," Sabrina said, taking off her headband and replacing it with her new dog-themed one.

"Now, all you need to say to transform into your new alter ego, Puppy Girl, is 'Barkk, go fetch!', and we'll be on our way," he smiled. "To de-transform, just say 'Barkk, sit'."

"Got it," Sabrina nodded, now filled with a new-found confidence like never before... she was ready to be a hero! To be her _own _hero!

"Barkk, GO FETCH!" she exclaimed.

The stairway safely concealed her from any oncoming traffic or walking students, and she was transformed into Puppy Girl - and her weapon?

A boomerang.

It wasn't exactly the most ideal weapon, especially considering she had never used a boomerang before in her life, but she figured the skill set came with the Miraculous itself. At least, that's what she hoped.

"Right, time to go be a hero," she muttered, rubbing her hands together.

As she raced back into the school, however, she only saw two people...

Rena Rouge and Carapace.

"Woah, who are you?" Rena asked.

"I-I'm new to the job, sorry," Puppy said shyly. "I-I'm Puppy Girl! I literally just got my Miraculous less than two minutes ago..."

"Lit!" Carapace said. "Always room for one more on Team Miraculous!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Viperion and Ryuko came racing back in together. They both were a bit surprised at Puppy Girl being there, but welcomed her openly. Pegase shortly followed, and then Roi Singe, finally ending off with Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"Okay... so - Scarlet Moth is back," Chat said, "and its my fault."

"Stop saying that! It is not!" Ladybug said.

"But, m'lady, I gave Mayura the suggestion to bring Hawk Moth back into the field," Chat said sadly. "I... I caused a second hell-wave of butterflies."

"If you don't stop talking down yourself I may actually kick you," Ladybug said. "You were threatening Mayura in the absolute most beautiful, badass way possible - you told her we weren't gonna go down without a fight, and she took it to heart! That's why he's out there right now instead of cowering in his lair! That's all you, kitty!"

Chat sniffled lightly.

"Oh my gosh, please don't cry, kitty," Ladybug said.

"N-No... its just, well, only one other person has complemented me like that... hit home, y'know?" he smiled.

"You're amazing," she smiled.

"I'll do all the crying for ya!" Rena smiled, wiping her eyes.

"Yeah Chat - don't worry. Not your fault at all. Scarlet Moth will show up every now and again!"

A voice not from the current gathering rang out, and everyone started looking around, only to see a dark azure and white colored, bunny-themed superheroine standing a few feet away...

"Bunnyx?!" exclaimed Ladybug and Chat.

"You all know this chick?" asked Kim.

"...Same as always, Kim," Bunnyx muttered, chuckling as she twirled her umbrella. "Ah, Puppy Girl! About time you joined!"

"Uhh... thank you?" Puppy said, as confused as everyone else.

"Did you just time travel or something?" asked Viperion.

"Actually, yeah! I'm from the future, my kwami can control time," said Bunnyx. "And trust me - you all are gonna need at least double the heroes you had during the last fight! And, well, here's that double completed! Plus, I felt this team needed a bit more gals anyway."

"...Wow, that is a perfect double of the amount of heroes that were present at the last time Scarlet Moth showed up," said Pegase.

"No, really? We can count, Pegase," Ryuko said - he sent a glare her way, but after they both laughed it off, it was like it never happened.

"So... let's go kick some ass, huh?" Chat asked Ladybug.

"Absolutely, minou," she smiled. "You guys ready too?"

"Hell yes," Roi smiled.

"Let's do it!" Rena said.

"I'm ready whenever you all are," Carapace added.

"Traveled back just for it!" added Bunnyx.

"One hundred percent down," Viperion smirked.

"I'm in a need to kick someone's ass," Ryuko smiled.

"I shall give someone chronic back pain!" Pegase said, a little too enthusiastically.

"Well, its bound to be one heck of a first mission," Puppy said shyly, "what's not to love?"

"You'll be a great superhero, Puppy," smiled Ladybug.

"We all believe you have great potential," Chat added. "Now, let's go confront Scarlet Moth! TEAM MIRACULOUS, GO!"

-0-

This was _not _what they were expecting.

There were way more akumas than last time - well, it seemed like there were anyway. A few new additions included Weredad (this one pained Marinette in particular), Loveater, Startrain, Kwami Buster, Miracle Queen, Animaestro, and others. The now-somewhat bigger Team Miraculous was standing in the middle of a large, empty park, observing the Eiffel Tower that seemed to be the gathering place of all the scarlet akumas.

"This... this is going to be challenging," muttered Pegase.

"Nothing we can't do as a team!" said Ladybug.

"Hey... is it just me," said Roi, "or is that gathering a little... off?"

"Well, no duh," said Viperion. "Its a large gathering of akumas. That never happens."

"No, no, its just... literally a little off. Like, they seem like they're... levitating almost a few inches off of the ground," said Roi.

Suddenly, however... they were whisked away by the wind.

The team looked over to the side, and saw two horrifying sights.

Catalyst, an akuma they had never encountered before... and a scarlet Volpina.

"DAMN YOU ROSSI!" yelled Rena, stomping a few feet away from the team. Ryuko, Roi, and Bunnyx stepped next to her to make sure she didn't do something stupid, and Viperion, Carapace, Pegase, and Puppy stepped over to the other side to look for any more threats. Ladybug and Chat remained dead center, looking around for the akumas themselves.

And then...

The ground began to shake.

"Earthquake?!" Puppy exclaimed, not entirely sure of what was happening.

However, a scarlet Stormy Weather suddenly manifested into their sights, and she screamed as she tossed her hands upward - large rock spikes came out of the ground, separating the three groups from one another due to how close all of them were. Ladybug and Chat, who were holding onto each other for safety, and being visually cut off from the neighboring streets, could hear stomping - the akumas were marching together.

God, they hoped their teammates could deal with this... then, Stormy Weather made the clear skies vanish.

It was now cloudy - and the rain was beginning to pour.

And then, whatever illusion Volpina had going for her boss faded.

Scarlet Moth now stood in front of Ladybug and Chat.

* * *

**Sabrina gets a Miraculous, Bunnyx is back, and so is Scarlet Moth?! What is all this madness?!**

**We'll have to wait next chapter to see! Thanks for reading guys! Hope to see you in the next one - love you all so much! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A very special thank you to Shiranai Atsune, the lovely guest reviewer who sent me some lovely reviews on this story! Guests like you are so awesome, you know? :)**

* * *

Scarlet Moth now stood in front of Ladybug and Chat.

"Hello again, my old enemies," Scarlet Moth smirked.

"Old? You're one to talk," Chat spat back at his and Ladybug's arch enemy. "This is because of what I said, isn't it?"

"Your suggestion was taken into consideration, and since my partner and I enjoyed it so much, we figured it would be nice to enact upon it," smirked Scarlet Moth.

"Speaking of your partner, where's Mayura?" asked Ladybug.

"That's none of your business; she has her own matters to attend to," Scarlet Moth hissed. "Now, onto more important manners - hand over your Miraculouses, and not only will I let your team go, but all of my scarlet akumas will disappear as well. All the chaos that would ensue, not to mention... unwanted casualties, could be easily avoided with one simple sacrifice."

"No Parisians have to die for your cause," Ladybug said. "Just... please. Rationalize the situation-"

"I HAVE DONE THAT ALREADY, AND THIS IS THE ONLY WAY!" Scarlet Moth roared loudly. "You two are all that stands between me and my ultimate goal, and its really starting to piss me off."

"Get some anger management classes then - cause we aren't going anywhere anytime soon," Chat said.

Scarlet Moth scowled deeply. Thunder cracked, and the rain began to fall harder than it was falling a minute ago.

"Then I guess I'll have to pry them off of your unconscious bodies."

The two heroes then threw themselves at Scarlet Moth, and he immediately deflected their attack with one of his own - the three were now in a heated combat, neither party wanting to surrender any time soon.

And something had changed inside Hawk Moth since the last time the two had fought...

This time, something had _snapped._

He was angrier than last time, stronger than last time, and evidently, also more determined. He was reaching for Ladybug's earrings and Chat's ring every chance he could manage to get. They dodged and evaded every attack, obviously, but what made it scary was how close he was getting.

In fact, he had just briefly pinned down Chat to the ground and almost pried his ring off - this was scary!

"HAND THEM OVER!" Scarlet Moth bellowed.

"NEVER!" Ladybug shouted, landing another punch on his face.

"You'll have to kill us first!" Chat added.

Scarlet Moth had gotten a bit of blood smeared on his face, and it mixed with his crimson armor, somehow making him more terrifying than he already was.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a bridge of ice came down behind him, and Catalyst slid down with Volpina - they now outnumbered the heroes in front of them.

"What should we do, boss?" Volpina asked, her deep hatred of Ladybug not ceasing in the slightest.

"Get. Those. Miraculouses." he growled angrily.

"With absolute pleasure," Catalyst smirked.

Ladybug and Chat stood ready to fight till the death - they both knew that, despite the massive rock walls blocking them from their teammates, they'd find a way over... they had to.

And by God, they did.

"AIR!" a sudden shout from Ryuko was heard.

And in a few seconds, Ryuko flew over the right rock barrier, with Rena, Roi, and Bunnyx being carried underneath her air manipulation. The four landed safely and gently next to Ladybug and Chat, and gave the two a newfound confidence boost.

"GAH!" Scarlet Moth growled, so angry that he even tossed his cane onto the ground.

Ladybug saw a sudden (and golden!) opportunity, and snatched up his cane with her yo-yo. He was outraged, but she just smirked as she looked at it.

"You make it work," smiled Chat. "Now we've got matching sticks!"

Ladybug giggled happily. "You silly kitty!"

Suddenly, they heard a loud "GIDDY-WARP!" from the other side of the left rock wall, and Pegase charged through with Carapace, Viperion, and Puppy right behind him.

"Ah, I like these odds much better!" Bunnyx smirked.

"Sick new weapon, Lady-bro!" exclaimed Carapace.

"Yeah, you look badass!" Rena added.

Scarlet Moth, Catalyst, and Volpina (why was she on the main team anyway?) were all extremely angry... literally all they had for a weapon now was Volpina's flute.

Suddenly, scarlet Frozer appeared at the other side of this big-ass park, waving over the three generals of this battle. Scarlet Moth, Catalyst, and Volpina began an absolute mad dash for the other side of the park.

"TEAM MIRACULOUS, GO!" Ladybug yelled.

The ten heroes then began the chase after Scarlet Moth, Catalyst, and Volpina - and they were going as fast as possible.

And then, Pharaoh slammed down in front of them with the head of Horus - he then called upon the powers of Sekhmet, and channeled all the strength he could muster into his fists.

"Not today, Jalil!" Bunnyx exclaimed, throwing herself on the front line and using her umbrella to block his charge.

Somehow, miraculously, it worked! Pharaoh was knocked back down, and it gave the team enough time to get back into their running formation.

"That is one strong umbrella!" Roi said loudly.

"Yeah, really is!" Bunnyx laughed, still wondering why and how her umbrella was as powerful as it was.

The ten continued their charge, and eventually came to the end of the park - the three villains were cornered.

"Shit," Catalyst muttered.

"Hey! Language!" Puppy exclaimed.

"Language will be the least of your worries when we're done," growled Scarlet Moth.

Suddenly, Stoneheart walked past, and the three were scooped up by the rock giant akuma's massive hand - the ten heroes, meanwhile, were left to wonder what to do next.

"Well?! What are we waiting for?!" exclaimed Viperion. "Let's go get them!"

"No! We have to wait and see where they're headed!" shouted Bunnyx. "That could be vital to their defeat!"

"You're from the future! How does this end?!" Pegase exclaimed.

Bunnyx remained tight lipped.

"We lose... we lose, don't we?" Roi asked.

"If I tell you what happens, we sure as hell will!" Bunnyx yelled.

Puppy, meanwhile, was off to the side as everyone was arguing on what to do... and then, she looked back up at Catalyst. Presumably, because of her red aura and color scheme, she was the reason all this was happening. And then, her eyes went back to her weapon.

Boomerang...

And if memory served her correct, Catalyst's tablet appeared to be the akumatized object - and she was pretty exposed from her point of view.

Puppy sighed deeply. "Let's hope the skills came with the suit..."

And then, she took off.

"PUPPY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" Pegase shouted.

"And there she goes... we lost her, boys," Viperion muttered.

"No... I think she's doing something," Ladybug said, holding up her hand.

And indeed, she did have a sole objective in mind - it would kill two birds with one stone. Not only would it get rid of every scarlet akuma, but it Catalyst was gone too, literally the only threat they would have is normal Hawk Moth!

She couldn't miss...

Puppy was now in close enough proximity to take her shot - and that she did. She yelled at the top of her lungs, and tossed her boomerang at Catalyst's tablet...

She didn't hit it.

But she did hit Catalyst.

It just didn't knock out her tablet - but it knocked her out of the palm of Stoneheart. Scarlet Moth quickly jumped down out of his palm as well so he could grab her, and Volpina followed suit. Puppy grabbed her boomerang when it came back, but she was still scared of what the team would have to deal with now that she had presumably just pissed off Scarlet Moth even more.

"Puppy!" exclaimed Ladybug, running over to the newest addition to the team with the rest following behind her. "What were you doing?!"

"I-I was trying to take out Catalyst!" said Puppy. "I-I'm so sorry! I won't d-do it again!"

"Oh Puppy, its okay," Ladybug said. "You were very brave to do such a thing!"

"Yeah, and first day on the job too!" added Chat. "Don't worry. You're fine."

Puppy smiled happily, but her smiled was wiped off of her face when she noticed the horrified expressions of her teammates.

And when she turned around, she saw exactly why.

All of the scarlet akumas had gathered behind the three generals of the "Scarlet Army" - and Scarlet Moth now had blood running down the entire right side of his mouth. Combine that with the horrifying scowl planted on his face, and you'd think he was a demon.

He then stretched out his arm, and his cane was jerked out of Ladybug's hand, and back into his own.

And suddenly, a new feature of his suit activated - two black lenses came over his eyes, and red dots came up on the lenses.

"We are gonna die," Ryuko muttered.

And suddenly, Scarlet Moth extended his cane outward - all of the scarlet akumas ominously began a slow march towards Team Miraculous. Catalyst and Volpina were at the head of the march, while Scarlet Moth waited for everyone to get past so he could be the last one to enter into the battle.

"W-We should probably run," Chat said.

"Agreed," Ladybug nodded. "EVERYONE! BOOK IT BACKWARDS!"

The ten heroes instantly began to run as fast as their legs could carry them in the opposite direction.

"WHY AM I RUNNING SO SLOW?!" Roi yelled, very confused as to how all nine of the other heroes had passed him up with ease.

"GO GO GO!" Bunnyx yelled, "I DON'T PLAN ON DYING TODAY!"

"DOES ANYONE?!" screamed Carapace.

"IF YA DO, DEATH'S RIGHT BEHIND US!" yelled Rena.

The team all continued running as fast as they could, the heavy rain somewhat blinding their vision - like things couldn't get worse!

They all finally managed, after about a whole minute of sprinting, to put a decent bit of distance between themselves and the scarlet army. But as of now, they were running out of hope.

"Wh-What are we gonna do?" Viperion asked, panting heavily.

"Well, I am not going back there!" Pegase said matter-of-factly.

"No. We're going back," Ladybug said, more determined than ever.

"You sure we can do it, m'lady?" asked Chat.

"No," Ladybug sighed, taking his hand into her own. "But... I can't think of a better way to go out, if this really is it. I'd never go out with anyone else by my side but you."

Chat beamed with pride. "And I'd never go down without you by my side either, m'lady."

Ladybug smiled warmly, and pecked Chat on the cheek - he needed to know that, no matter what, she would always love him. Even if it may not yet be like how he loved her, it was important he knew that she loved him. No matter what.

"Right dudes," Carapace said, nodding to his leaders. "Let's roll."

"You took the words right outta my mouth, babe," Rena smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

And then, as the rest of the team exchanged all of their thoughts to one another about each other (positive only), the team - led by Ladybug and Chat - stepped around the corner.

The akuma army had come to a stop about a quarter mile away from where the team stood.

"Team Miraculous!" Chat yelled.

"...Go." Ladybug growled.

A battle cry from Roi was the last words any member of the team said before they started their charge towards the scarlet army. Catalyst and Volpina then bolted right towards the team, and the scarlet army followed right behind them. Scarlet Moth still stood calmly at the back of the army, waiting to see if any of the heroes would break off to fight him specifically.

But the entire Team Miraculous was focused solely on stopping the scarlet army. They were all rushing as fast as they could back at the villains, and were ready to fight till every last one was purified.

And fight they would.

Ladybug took Volpina, Chat took Catalyst, and the rest of the team broke off in duos to fight any akumas they could. Rena and Carapace, Viperion and Ryuko, Roi and Bunnyx, and Pegase and Puppy.

And every single holder was going to _town _on every scarlet akuma they came into combat with.

A few noticeable missing akumas included Dark Cupid, Gamer, Silencer, Riposte or Oni-Chan, Miraculer, and Timebreaker... but no one took notice to this.

"Yo! We're making good progress!" yelled Viperion, roundhouse kicking scarlet Frozer off of Ryuko's back.

"We actually are! Keep up the good work, team!" yelled Ryuko, diving underneath Viperion to blow a leg sweep to scarlet Animaestro and scarlet Dark Owl.

"We got this guys!" Bunnyx encouraged her teammates, (maybe-/maybe-not-happily) punching Miracle Queen right in the chest to send her backwards.

"Keep on fighting!" Pegase yelled, cracking his whip to try and intimidate scarlet Frightningale.

"Don't give up yet!" Puppy added, throwing around her boomerang to land a hit on scarlet Zombizou - this one hurt a lot... Mme. Bustier was so sweet!

"This is actually a lot of fun!" Roi laughed, drop-kicking scarlet Kwami Buster with pleasure; Mme. Mendeleiev deserved it, in his opinion.

Ladybug and Volpina were probably in one of the most heated combats out of anyone - the two despised each other with every fiber of their being, so it was no wonder that this was the fight that the most punches were being thrown in. Chat and Catalyst, meanwhile, well... it was practically a cat-fight. Lots'a slaps were being thrown.

But there was one who had gone missing from the fight - Rena.

This was concerning to Carapace, as she had activated Mirage and then left the scene without a trace...

But after Carapace was through with Weredad and Guitar Villain, he found her.

Scarlet Moth had her; his arm was wrapped around her neck, his other hand holding his cane.

Carapace felt an unholy amount of fury begin to course through his blood. "Let. Her. Go."

"You dare challenge me, boy?" Scarlet Moth asked.

"Its okay babe! I can handle this!" Rena said, getting as big of a breath as she could with Scarlet Moth's arm wrapped around her neck.

"I know, I know," Carapace nodded, smiling slightly at how strong his girlfriend was. "But I need another excuse to his this bastard in the face with my shield."

Rena smirked, and quickly elbowed Scarlet Moth in the face with her freed arm, and picked her flute back up to run back into the pile-on of scarlet akumas. "Then he's all yours, babe!"

Carapace vs. Scarlet Moth.

You didn't think that would happen, did you?

The two faced each other with nearly the same level of hatred that Nino would look at Gabriel Agreste with - there's a joke in there somewhere. And then, they both screamed nearly at the same time, and charged at one another.

Instantly, Carapace tossed his shield at Scarlet Moth's jaw, and it indeed hit him right where he intended to. Scarlet Moth took a step back, but bounced right back into combat with his turtle-themed enemy.

What neither of them knew was that, as shield sparked against staff, they were both enacting on their heart's deepest desires from all the way back to Adrien's 14th birthday party, where Nino was first akumatized by Gabriel himself.

In other words, they both had wanted to beat the shit out of each other for a long time now. And now, they were doing exactly that - they just didn't know it.

"Hey, Carapace!" Ryuko yelled from inside the battlefield. "Take this!"

She had tossed him her sword - best part, it currently held the power of lightning.

"Aw yeah," Carapace smirked, grabbing the sword. He was now duel-wielding with the power of lightning and his shield, just like Captain America, his hero! "I'm gonna burn your ass to a crisp, Scarlet Moth! GIMME A BOOST, RYUKO!"

"LIGHTNING!" she called out.

Carapace then channeled the lightning of the already-raging storm into Ryuko's sword, and tossed the bolt directly at Scarlet Moth's chest. It sent him rocketing backwards, and Carapace's heart was full of joy.

"Yo, Lady-bro! Chat! He's all yours!" Carapace yelled, tossing Ryuko her sword and running back into the field of scarlet akumas to go find Rena.

However, Catalyst heard the plan - she quickly left Volpina to be knocked out by Ladybug, and bolted out of the battlefield to rejoin Scarlet Moth. Ladybug and Chat quickly followed, and within seconds, the two main villains were facing the two main heroes.

"Boss, I've got an idea," said Catalyst. "Do you trust me?"

"I always do," Scarlet Moth nodded, grasping her hand.

Catalyst smirked, and then... she snapped her fingers.

In an instant, almost twenty five to thirty scarlet akumas disappeared, and all of the butterflies swarmed back to Catalyst and Scarlet Moth. Catalyst was screaming at the top of her lungs, and somehow, the demonic-looking crimson Hawk Moth managed to show some concern...

Heck, even Ladybug and Chat were concerned at this point!

But when she stopped screaming, four scarlet weapons were summoned in front of the two villains.

A sword, a shield, and two daggers.

"Ah, excellent," Scarlet Moth smirked, placing his cane in a back holster and picking up the scarlet sword and shield.

"Now that you have your own proper weapons, and some proper backup," Catalyst added, picking up the scarlet daggers, "let's try this again."

"I hope you know that, despite looking like an early incarnation of the devil himself, we still aren't scared of you!" Chat exclaimed.

"And besides, getting rid of most of your akumas just means we have more backup," Ladybug smirked.

And indeed - the remaining scarlet akumas were finished off fairly quickly. The other eight members of Team Miraculous had now gathered behind their leaders, and were ready to all go after Catalyst and Scarlet Moth.

Catalyst then did something unexpected - she shot a blast of scarlet energy right at Ryuko.

Viperion gasped. "NO!" he yelled, jumping in front of her as quickly as possible.

Viperion was then blasted into a brick wall, and he angrily cried out in pain as he struggled to stand back up.

"VIPER!" yelled Ryuko.

None of the team noticed the two scarlet butterflies heading towards their Miraculouses until it was too late... they weren't Viperion and Ryuko anymore.

They were now Cobrazier and Hydra, their own akumatized Miraculous forms.

"SHIT!" yelled Bunnyx, looking around in terror for anymore scarlet akumas.

She completely missed the one that played on her fear, sneaked into her umbrella, and transformed her into her own akumatized form - Rogue Rabbit.

"AH!" Puppy screamed, pulling out her boomerang to look for any other butterflies.

"LOOK OUT-oh, well damn," Pegase muttered, looking down at his riding whip, which a scarlet akuma had sneaked its way onto unexpectedly. He was consumed by the black and red mist, and transformed into his akumatized Miraculous form - Dark Horse.

"RETREAT!" Ladybug yelled, motioning for her remaining teammates to follow her out of there before the newly-akumatized others could get a hold of them.

In short, only the team leaders, Rena, Carapace, Roi, and Puppy made it out of there.

"What do we do, boss?" asked Cobrazier.

"We wait," Scarlet Moth growled. "Now that the playing field's a bit more even, they'll crawl out of whatever hole they're hiding inside of in no time."

Cobrazier, Hydra, Rogue Rabbit, and Dark Horse all evilly chuckled together with Catalyst and Scarlet Moth, now completely under their control; the two generals shared a tight hand-squeeze of confidence and pleasure.

They were confident that this would be the _end _of Team Miraculous.

* * *

**Is this it? Is it really the end of Team Miraculous?! **

**No... not just yet! :D They still have Rena and Carapace, right? And also Puppy! ...And Roi. XD But never fear - even though four of their teammates have been akumatized... there's still one member of Team Miraculous we haven't seen in this story yet... ;)**

**Thanks for reading this chapter guys! See you in the next one! Love you all! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

Ladybug, Chat, and the four remaining members of their team were running like their lives depended on it. Because they probably did. How often did they confront Hawk Moth in public - let alone, Scarlet Moth, and with a sword, shield, and dagger wielding assistant at that?!

"Where... where are we even going?" Roi asked, panting when they finally came to a stop.

"The one place I know we won't be found," said Ladybug. "Trust me on this."

"I think I know where you have in mind, m'lady," smiled Chat. "I agree. Its like a safe haven for me too."

Ladybug smiled, giving a soft nod to her kitty. She was glad that they thought alike on so many occasions...

"The Dupain-Cheng bakery?" Rena guessed.

"How'd you know?" asked Chat.

"C'mon, my non-superhero bestie lives there!" she laughed. "And plus, I know just how much you love hanging out there, Chat..."

"Hehe, who doesn't?" Chat smiled.

Ladybug was noticeably blushing, but no one questioned it, thankfully. And then, within ten minutes, the remainder of the superhero team arrived at the bakery. It had just passed lunch hour, several scarlet akumas were regular customers, and with the noticeably bad weather, no one was there - again, thankfully.

"Oh my-Ladybug! Chat! You poor children, what happened to you all?" Sabine said, noticing the already forming bruises. "Are all of you okay?"

"We just had a nasty run in with Scarlet Moth," Ladybug answered.

"I whooped his ass," Carapace muttered, smiling lightly at the fond memory he made when he struck Scarlet Moth with lightning.

"And now almost half of our team is scarlet akumatized," Chat said sadly.

Sabine gasped, and at that very moment, Tom came back in through the front doors - he had been a scarlet akuma, and he had just now gotten back from the street where all of the scarlet akumas were currently being treated by medical staff.

"Tom!" she exclaimed, running over to her husband. "Are you okay?!"

"Yes dear, thankfully," Tom smiled. "Team Miraculous showed this ol' baker some mercy! Oh, speaking of Team-wait... where's the rest of you all?"

After a brief explanation (and an introduction of Puppy), Tom nodded in sympathy. "You all are welcome to hide out here as long as you need," he smiled, gesturing to their living room.

"Thank you, Mr. Dupain," Puppy smiled warmly.

As the entire gang took a seat in the living room, and began to plan out their attack, Chat was noticeably eyeing the door to Marinette's bedroom... the moment he stood up, Ladybug made some sort of excuse to use the bathroom, or something like that.

And thankfully, by the skin of her non-existent wings, she made it to her room just in time to meet Chat.

"Oh, Princess, oh thank God," Chat muttered, hugging her tightly, "you're okay!"

"Kitty, kitty, I'm fine!" Marinette laughed, trying to remain oblivious. "What's going on?"

Chat then explained the whole situation to her as quickly as possible, and even though she had literally just been there, it still hurt to see her kitty so upset over the whole thing - though, they both shared a laugh when it came to the part where Carapace basically Captain America'd Scarlet Moth.

"B-But now almost half of our team is gone," Chat sadly finished. "Mari... I-I don't know what to do... I-I'm scared, Princess."

"Oh, Kitty, its gonna be okay," Marinette said, gently rubbing his shoulder. "I promise you..."

Chat smiled sadly. "I don't know Princess... as calming and reassuring as your words are, I'm starting to feel hopeless."

"And that's how Scarlet Moth wins - when you give up hope," said Marinette, kneeling down in front of him in front of her chaise. "He wants you to feel empty. Hopeless. Like no one else is gonna be there for you. But that's not right - you always have your teammates. You always will have Ladybug! And... and you always will have me."

Chat smiled again - and this time, much happier than before.

"Thank you, Princess," Chat smiled. "I really needed to hear that."

"Anytime, minou," she said, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead, causing them both to blush madly. Chat then said his goodbyes, and stepped back downstairs - Ladybug then stepped back in a few minutes later.

"So, clearly, the odds are even right now," said Carapace. "I say we uneven them in our favor."

"But how?" Puppy asked. "We're evenly matched now; there's no one else!"

"Yeah, and even if there was, good luck getting Master Fu to hand over another Miraculous after he's already handed over so much," chuckled Rena.

Ladybug, meanwhile, sat silent in the corner, thinking of an idea.

...No.

No.

NO!

Just no.

That was a big old no... right?

She sighed... she didn't want it to come to this. But they were scraping the bottom of the barrel here - and if it came to this, well, it came to this.

Ladybug slowly stood up, and took a deep breath, pretty confident in how her team would react to her statement.

"Well... there is _one _more hero we know of."

"No, no no no!" Rena said. "You said it yourself, Ladybug - she's a public identity. Its too big of a risk."

"Rena, I'm sorry... but Ladybug's right," said Chat, "we're down to our last resort here. We've got to try."

"You think we can trust her?" asked Roi, not so sure about the idea, but not against it either.

"You'd rather give Lila the Miraculous?" Ladybug asked.

That was enough to convince them... now all she needed to do was convince Master Fu.

* * *

Chloe Bourgeois was sulking at the Louvre. A badass, amazing battle had gone down, and all she was in it was a measly scarlet akuma?! During the last scarlet swarm, she was one of the five heroes that saved the day! And arguably, one of the more important ones...

But this train of thought was interrupted by footsteps coming in from her open window.

"What the!-Oh. You."

"Chloe, listen to me," Ladybug said. "You've seen the news, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Chloe hissed, keeping her back to Ladybug.

"Chloe... I know its hard to ask this," she said, "but we're running low on hope. We're running out of time... please. Come back to the team."

Chloe didn't budge.

"Y'know, all you're gonna do is take it back after. I know it - and I know I don't deserve to be on the team either. All you're doing is calling on me because I'm a last resort, not because you actually want me on the team. And... I understand. You don't need me, Ladybug. Go be a hero without me."

"Listen to me, Chloe," said Ladybug, "you have as much potential as anyone else on mine and Chat's team. You could make a great superhero! But... if you let your attitude get in the way, that potential can never be realized. And it pains me to say that, because I really think there's more to you than Paris' greatest snob. I think, deep down, you want to change... you just can't bear the thought of facing the consequences of what's already happened. However, if you were to apologize to everyone you've wronged, little by little, you'd start to realize that... they'd be more than willing to forgive you."

Ladybug paused for a moment, the only noise in the room coming from the television.

And then, Chloe sniffled.

"I-I'm not good enough for that..."

"Nonsense, you're Chloe Bourgeois!" Ladybug exclaimed. "Listen to me. If you start small, maybe someone you know, to just give it a try... maybe you'll see how good it feels. But, if you don't want to, that's fine. Its up to you."

As Ladybug turned to exit, Chloe called out "WAIT!"

She turned around, and Chloe was now standing up from her bed, with tears in her eyes.

"Ladybug... I... I'm sorry!"

Chloe then broke down sobbing, and Ladybug ran to hug her and let her know that it was okay. Inwardly, Marinette was rejoicing - Chloe had apologized! It was by no means the biggest growth, buy by golly, it was a start.

And she couldn't be prouder.

"Shh shh... let it all out Chloe... its okay, its okay," she smiled, hugging her tightly - this girl needed reassurance. Comfort. Something she had been lacking for far too long now.

Chloe's sobs ceased after about a minute or so, and her hiccups finally came to a stop after about five minutes. After she went to her bathroom to clean herself up and wash her ruined makeup off, she came back - ready to try something new.

"What... what if no one likes the new me?" asked Chloe.

"Everyone will _adore _the new you," smiled Ladybug. "I know that for a fact... because I'm living proof."

Chloe gave her hero a smile - an honest, genuine smile.

"When do I start?"

* * *

"...and, with all that said, I wanna say... from the bottom of my heart, wholly and truly - I am sorry."

"And I'll speak for everyone when I say, apology accepted," Chat said, reaching out his hand.

Queen Bee shook his hand, a smile on her face. "Y'know, Chat, you really aren't all that bad. I can see why you have so many adoring fans."

"Wow... thanks, Queenie!" Chat smiled.

"You've done the impossible again, Chloe," Rena chuckled, standing up. "And this is the best surprise you've pulled off yet."

"You're cool in my books now, bee-bro!" Carapace winked.

"Honestly, that's really cool of you Chloe, thanks," Roi smiled.

"Yes, thank you Chloe!" Puppy smiled happily.

Queenie looked around, and smiled at all of her old teammates, and new ones alike. She was really starting to get into this apologizing thing - she already had so many new friends!

"I told ya," Ladybug winked, patting her shoulder.

Queenie smiled shyly, holding her right arm in her left like a shy schoolgirl; Ladybug's pep talk had really done her well! She was already showing massive signs of improvement.

However, that happy moment was suddenly vanquished, by a scream from Sabine downstairs. The team all raced downstairs as fast as they could, and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw she wasn't hurt - but their breath was once again caught in their throats when they saw what she was screaming at.

Scarlet Moth, Catalyst, and all of their scarlet akumatized teammates were standing at about a half mile length away from the bakery.

"What are we gonna do?!" Puppy said nervously.

Ladybug sighed.

"Nothing we really can do, except confront them," she uttered. "You all ready?"

"Let's do it, m'lady," Chat smiled.

"You can count on me, Ladybug!" Queenie added.

"What the heck? Let's go kick ass," Carapace smirked.

"What my boyfriend said!" added Rena.

"No other way I'd spend time where I should be in school," Roi chuckled.

"I'm all in!" Puppy said, now more determined than before.

Ladybug nodded, and then looked at Chat, who knew exactly what to do.

"Team Miraculous!" he started.

"GO!" she finished.

And with that, the seven heroes rushed out of the bakery, and ran into the street where the scarlet team was standing, now only a third of a mile from the bakery.

"Ah, Chloe Bourgeois? Is that you?" Scarlet Moth taunted. "I thought Ladybug told you off a couple of hours ago."

"Change of plans, and of heart!" Queenie fired back.

"She's not wrong," Ladybug smirked.

"You think we aren't ready to fight to the death?" Catalyst asked, brandishing her daggers.

"You both won't have to," Chat said. "You'll both be heading to a max-security prison before dinner, and we'll have a complete Team Miraculous once again!"

Scarlet Moth and Catalyst got a good chuckle out of that, as did Cobrazier, Hydra, Dark Horse, and Rogue Rabbit.

"Shall I provide musical accompaniment, Scarlet Moth?" asked Dark Horse slyly.

"That would be greatly appreciated," Scarlet Moth smirked.

A deep, blood red portal opened, and Dark Horse took about three seconds to swipe Rolland Dupain's boombox (again...) - the current track playing was "Centuries", by Fall Out Boy. Although neither Scarlet Moth nor Catalyst were big fans of pop music, the four younger heroes loved the epic war-like music that was just beginning to play.

"Fitting," Ladybug smirked. "I don't see any gold on that team, do you, chaton?"

"I do not, m'lady," Chat smirked back. "Let's go wipe the dust off of the rest of our team's eyes."

And with that, the seven members of Team Miraculous began walking towards the six members of Team Scarlet. The music was beginning to kick in, and when the villains noticed Team Miraculous walking towards them, they began to walk as well.

Then, the seven heroes collectively started picking up the pace, moving slowly from a brisk walk to a full-on jog, moving towards a sprint.

"Uh, boss, they're not stopping!" Hydra said.

"Neither are we," Scarlet Moth hissed.

He then suddenly started sprinting, and Catalyst followed first. Cobrazier, Hydra, Rogue Rabbit, and Dark Horse were quick to join in the charge.

Ladybug and Chat, however, were leading their own charge - Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, Carapace, Roi Singe, and Puppy Girl were quick to follow behind their leaders, with little hesitation.

And then, the two teams met in an epic clash.

The true battle had finally begun.

* * *

**Next chapter should be the finale chapter! I hope ye guys are ready for the most intense brawl of my imaginary Season 3 finale! :D :D :D**

**Thanks for reading guys! See you in the next chapter! Love you all! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**I hope you all have enjoyed this story, and will enjoy the final chapter! Also, don't worry - this story ends so happily, it'll be tooth-rotting fluff! :D**

* * *

The final brawl had begun.

Ladybug and Chat both took Scarlet Moth on, feeling it necessary that they worked together to try and take down the titular villain. Queenie took Catalyst, knowing that she was the source of the scarlet akumas, and wanting to purify the other four wielders. Rena and Carapace took on Cobrazier and Hydra, Roi took on Rogue Rabbit, and Puppy took on Dark Horse.

It was like a civil war had broken out among Team Miraculous; thank God that wasn't the case. If something like that ever happened, who knows how long both sides would take to recover?

"KEEP THE SCARLET WIELDERS DISTRACTED!" Queenie called. "I'LL HANDLE CATALYST!"

"Foolish girl!" Catalyst said, trying once more to plunge her dagger right through Queenie's armor. "You really think you can defeat me? You're rusty, and out of shape."

"Hey! This body doesn't just naturally happen!" Queenie shot back.

Suddenly, the two had to quickly back up together, as Puppy had straight-up tackled Dark Horse right in the middle of their fight. And then, right after, it was back to brawling.

Scarlet Moth, meanwhile, was getting quite used to his new sword and shield. They definitely worked MUCH better than the cane when it came to weaponry, that's for sure! Ladybug and Chat were actually struggling against him this time!

"LOOK OUT!" Chat yelled, as Ladybug dove beneath the sweep of Scarlet Moth's sword.

"CHAT, BEHIND YOU!" Ladybug shouted, and Chat just barely avoided being struck by Cobrazier's lyre, which flew past his face at an unholy speed. It circled back around at the exact same speed, and Cobrazier held out his hand to grab it before resuming his battle with Carapace.

However...

It was intercepted, and by none other than Carapace himself.

"Would hate to lose a couple of strings, wouldn't you?!" he yelled, smirking as he ripped the strings off of Cobrazier's lyre.

"What have you done?!" Cobrazier roared, before suddenly doubling over and screaming loudly...

And then, he was consumed by a dark red and black mist - but once it rolled off, the lyre had been restored.

Viperion was back in action!

"Yo, Viperion!" Carapace smirked, tossing him his lyre. "Think you might need this!"

"Oh, thanks dude," Viperion chuckled, grabbing the lyre. "Don't know what came over me there... woah, what's going on here?!"

"Catalyst happened! Go help Rena!" yelled Roi, before taking another punch to the face from Rouge Rabbit.

"Oh, okay, got it," Viperion nodded, rushing over to go help Rena with handling Hydra. "Damn, that brick wall must've done me in... and, wait, is that _Centuries_?!"

"GET YOUR TAIL OVER HERE AND HELP ME, DUDE!" Rena yelled. "SHE'S GONNA BEAT MY ASS IF YOU DON'T GET OVER HERE!"

"Oh yeah, sorry!" Viperion yelled, rushing over to go fight Hydra with Rena.

Hydra then took several steps backwards, having suffered a blow to the head, courtesy of Rena. However, even as Viperion arrived next to the fox-themed superhero (Carapace went off to go help Queenie with Catalyst), Hydra still had a smirk on her face.

"HELLFIRE AND BRIMSTONE!" Hydra yelled, throwing her sword upwards - it turned a magma-themed orange, and fire and dark rocks poured into it.

"This is some Armageddon-level crap," Rena said.

Viperion, however, remained silent... he thought he had come up with a plan.

"Can you get me in close? I'll make a distraction so you can grab her sword," Viperion said.

"This better be worth it," Rena muttered. "MIRAGE!"

Suddenly, at least fifty copies of both Rena and Viperion appeared before Hydra, and she held her sword at arms-length, not knowing what the hell was going on...

Giving Viperion a chance to slip through the crowd of fake-hims to make it to Hydra herself...

And plant a kiss on her lips.

Hydra pushed back briefly, but something about Viperion's lips felt so... familiar. Her current akumatized mind couldn't process it, especially because of the constant screaming from Catalyst, but she didn't resist.

And that gave the absolutely shell-shocked Rena Rouge time to move in swiftly, and snap Hydra's sword in half.

And yet, even when Ryuko came back, she didn't break away from Viperion's kiss.

"Hey, lovebirds!" yelled Rena. "There's a brawl going on here!"

"Right, sorry," Viperion said, blushing intensely as he pulled away from Ryuko. "I, uh... I hope that wasn't too awkward."

"Nonsense," Ryuko smirked, picking up her restored sword. "You're cute when you care..."

And then, the Snake and Dragon wielders leaped back into battle, joining Rena in helping Queenie and Carapace take on Catalyst. It was a wonder she was still even standing at this point... it was 5-on-1!

Well, it was.

Queenie noticed Puppy was struggling to make a move on Dark Horse, since his riding whip was being constantly cracked whenever she got near him...

"Keep her busy!" yelled Queenie, breaking off from the rest of the gang to go help Puppy.

"By my calculations..." Dark Horse muttered, brandishing his whip one last time, "...You're finished."

"Pegase! Please! Calm down!" yelled Puppy, trying to hold up her boomerang threateningly - how did you even do that?! "I-I don't wanna hurt you!"

"Shame, really," Dark Horse muttered.

"HEY!" Queenie yelled. "Give! Me! THE WHIP!"

"In your dreams, Queen Bitch," shot back Dark Horse.

"Oh, you did NOT just call me that!" Queenie spluttered. "You better pray you don't remember that!"

Even with the riding whip being cracked around her, Queenie sped through the line of fire to make it to Dark Horse - and she successfully tackled him. She grabbed his riding whip, and it suddenly became a tug-of-war between her and him.

"Puppy, take the shot already!" yelled Queenie.

"O-Okay!" Puppy said, readying her boomerang.

And with that, she took aim, and threw the weapon right at the line of cord, snapping it once the boomerang came into contact with it.

The now-familiar dark red and black mist consumed Dark Horse, and he was reverted back to Pegase - and his riding whip was also fixed.

"Wha... What the hell?" Pegase muttered, rubbing his head. "What have these last thirty minutes consisted of? I can't seem to remember."

"Good, its for the better," Queenie muttered.

"Oh, hello Queen Bee! I see you've rejoined the team," said Pegase. "Welcome back."

Queenie let a small smile come to her features. "Thanks."

"Yo, guys! Can I get a hand over here?!" yelled Roi, who was currently trying to get out of the headlock that Rouge Rabbit had him in.

"I'll help him," Pegase said.

With that, Pegase raced over to Rouge Rabbit, and cracked his riding whip a safe distance away, only causing a brief distraction so Roi could escape - and it worked. Roi then snapped the umbrella fabric, and Rouge Rabbit was cured, transforming back into Bunnyx.

"Woah... that was one trippy-ass ride!" Bunnyx laughed.

"I've felt that before, when I hit my head really hard," Roi added. "Just... Just a lil, y'know, fun fact... and everyone's gone to go fight. Aight."

Roi then ran over to join every single one of his teammates on the battlefield - it was now eleven against two.

Scarlet Moth and Catalyst weren't looking so good now...

But even though they had discarded most of their weapons - Catalyst had sneakily passed Scarlet Moth one of her daggers a while ago.

"Its over, you two!" yelled Chat. "Surrender now!"

"Come and get my Miraculous yourself, boy," hissed Scarlet Moth. "I could beat you with one hand behind my back!"

"I except the challenge," Chat smirked - he then charged at Scarlet Moth, and extended his bo staff, ready for the epic conclusion to the saga that was discovering Hawk Moth's identity...

But instead, he deflected his staff, causing it to bounce out of his hand. Chat didn't seem afflicted by the matter; he decided that punching Scarlet Moth would be more satisfying anyway.

But then... Ladybug noticed something.

Scarlet Moth had long ago discarded his sword and shield, but Catalyst had never discarded her daggers...

And yet, she only still had one.

Something suddenly clicked about the "hand behind my back" thing Scarlet Moth had said a moment ago.

It nearly gave her a heart attack.

"CHAT! GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Ladybug yelled.

"Huh?" Chat asked, briefly looking back.

Scarlet Moth saw his chance - and he took it. He twisted Chat's arm back, and had him fully exposed...

And then - he stabbed him in the stomach.

Chat was, obviously, caught by surprise and horrified at the wound he had just suffered. He staggered backwards, not knowing what to do - he looked up at Scarlet Moth, trying to get the dagger out of his stomach, but the wielder made sure it stayed right where it was.

"NO!" Ladybug yelled. "V-Viperion!"

"I-I can't!" Viperion panicked, trying to perform Second Chance, but to no avail. "I-It must've happened while I was akumatized!"

Ladybug then turned back to Scarlet Moth and Chat, with hot tears of rage already boiling in her eyes.

"He's mine," she growled, picking up the discarded sword and shield. "Rena, Carapace, Queenie - get. That. Tablet. The rest of you, get Chat to a safe place."

Team Miraculous nodded, and rushed over to the villains that they had been assigned to.

It didn't take much more than Viperion and Ryuko to pry Chat from Scarlet Moth's hands, and with that, they fled the scene to the nearby park so Chat could rest on some grass - the trip back to the bakery would be too bumpy, and too public. Rena, Queenie, and Carapace focused all of their energy that they could into fighting Catalyst...

And Ladybug...

If no one stopped her, she might've actually killed Scarlet Moth.

"YOU! NEVER! TOUCH! MY! KITTY! AGAIN!" she roared in between punches, causing more and more blood to come from Scarlet Moth's jaw.

She was so angry that she'd have no say in whether or not his jaw was fixed by the Miraculous Ladybug - if it was up to her, she'd make sure he could never snap it back into place.

Suddenly, she heard Carapace cry out in victory. "I GOT IT! LADY-BRO, CATCH!"

He tossed the tablet over, and Ladybug jumped to grab it out of mid-air - but Scarlet Moth tackled her.

"I'LL GET CHAT'S MIRACULOUS MUCH MORE EASIER THAN I WILL YOURS!" he yelled out.

"YOU'LL HAVE NEITHER!" Ladybug screamed, breaking free of the hold and aggressively slamming the tablet onto the ground - the akuma flew out, and she had never felt more relief catching the akuma.

There were no words that she wanted to scream more than those two she felt so much relief from.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

And then, ladybugs flew around Paris, cleaning up the damage and carnage that had been left behind by the scarlet army's rampage. And in addition, Catalyst was de-transformed back into Nathalie Sancouer, who was looking around in complete delusion... and Hawk Moth was reverted back to normal.

"You may win this time, Ladybug," hissed Hawk Moth, "but I assure you - even if it requires the most extreme measures ever, I WILL HAVE YOUR MIRACULOUS!"

"Get out of here before I actually lynch you with my yo-yo," Ladybug hissed.

Hawk Moth wasted no time in making a break for it, and Ladybug suddenly remembered - CHAT!

"Oh God - I'm coming Kitty!" she yelled. Rena, Queenie, and Carapace were quick to follow, and she finally saw that black leather-clad hero which she had feared of losing on that day resting on the ground - no dagger in sight.

"Kitty?! Kitty?!" she cried out, desperately running over to him.

"He's okay," said Bunnyx. "You just need to give him a second."

"The dagger vanished with the rest of the scarlet stuff," Roi said. "And if the scar didn't vanish, well, he's got something badass to show off!"

Pegase smacked him on the arm.

"Chat? Kitty?" she said softly, nearly in tears once again. "Please... Please, answer me..."

Chat didn't move...

And then, he coughed, and started sucking in deep breaths several times a second.

"KITTY!" Ladybug cried happily, hugging him so tightly he could barely get another breath.

"Gah-m'lady!" Chat laughed. "Please, please, I need some air!"

Everyone on Team Miraculous was rejoicing at the sight of seeing Chat back up on his feet - well, sitting up on the grass. Viperion and Ryuko, as well as Rena and Carapace, were sharing the tightest hugs ever with each other. Puppy was crying from joy, Roi was jumping as high as he possibly could, Pegase was laughing because he was so happy, and Queenie was also jumping for joy. Bunnyx was smiling happily, and nodded happily.

But there was one thing that hadn't happened yet...

Ladybug then did something unexpected.

She kissed him - full on lip lock. The rest of Team Miraculous gasped in surprise, but once the two separated, Chat just smiled happily.

"That wasn't just because I was stabbed, right?" he smiled.

"No... No, God, no," she laughed, her tears falling onto his suit. "I... I need my partner. And I guess it just... happened!"

"Well, could you help me over to the bakery?" Chat asked, clutching his stomach. "I... I need a place to lie down."

"Of course, minou," Ladybug said, propping his arm over her shoulders. "Good work team... let's all go home."

"Agreed," Viperion chuckled.

And with that, every member of Team Miraculous started making their trek back home.

* * *

"And here we are," Ladybug said, helping Chat up the final stair to... Marinette's bedroom.

"Hmm, Princess must not be home," Chat muttered. "Shame... I was really looking forward to seeing her reaction to me getting stabbed."

Ladybug gave him a cold glare.

"Sarcasm, m'lady!" Chat smiled. "Oh, I don't wanna take up the bed - the chaise will be fine."

"If you insist," Ladybug said softly, laying him down gently. However, instead of moving away, even as her transformation was wearing off.

"M-M'lady-"

"No, I'm staying right here," said Ladybug, taking his hand into her own. "I... I'm tired of hiding."

Chat's mouth was wide open when the final beep went off... and there in front of him, well. He couldn't be a luckier, happier, or more proud alley-cat.

"P-Princess..." he said. "M-My Princess is-"

"My lady?" Marinette smiled. "Yeah, this must be, uh... pretty disa-"

"Don't even start with that nonsense," Chat said, sitting up and crying out in pain from the remaining not-healed damage that Catalyst's dagger had left him with. "I-I'm fine Princess... I'm fine... it'll heal in a few hours."

"Good, good," Marinette panted, nearly sent into a heart attack for the second time that day.

But then... Chat moved to take off his ring. When Marinette tried to stop him, telling him he didn't need to, he just smirked and said, "Its only fair."

And when he was de-transformed...

Marinette was overcome with emotion.

Shock, joy, confusion... but most of all, the thing that made her want to burst out bawling again was the fact that, not only had she almost lost Chat Noir today, but she had almost lost _Adrien Agreste._

"P-Princess?" Adrien asked. "A-Are you-"

Marinette was hugging him and crying all over again within seconds. Adrien was scared that he had caused her to be so disappointed and angry that he, of all people, was her kitty, but the hugs and back rubs he was receiving were all but confirmation that he was fearing over nothing.

"Hey... Hey, Princess, its okay," Adrien said.

"N-No it isn't!" Marinette sniffled. "I-I'm not going to-to let you do that again!"

"I have no plans on getting stabbed again," Adrien assured her.

"N-No! Don-Don't ever scare m-me like that again!" she exclaimed. "I can't... I can't lose you both!"

"You're not going to," he said, rubbing her back softly as she continued to cry. "I rushed into battle alone. If I had you by my side, this maybe wouldn't have happened... but I guess my stupidity got the better of me. Anyway, the point I'm getting at here is that we're not going to lose each other. You won't lose me, and I won't lose you. We have the team, and we have each other. And we will unmask Hawk Moth one day... but today isn't that day. Today's a day where we cherish each other, okay?"

"Y-You act l-like I'm not gonna d-do that every day," Marinette muttered.

Adrien chuckled. "I'm gonna do the same, Princess... I'm gonna do the exact same."

The two then snuggled up on the chaise as well as they could, and just laid in a comfortable silence for the first time in what felt like forever...

The war had just begun, yes.

But for now, they had won the battle.

"...So, we have 'LadyNoir' and 'Renapace'," said Adrien, breaking the silence, "so... what's Viperion and Ryuko's ship name?"

Marinette giggled lightly. "Of all the things that I thought you'd say after we first cuddled..."

"Wait, so, you've thought about this?" Adrien laughed.

"Shut up and go back to cat-napping," Marinette smirked.

* * *

_**Next morning**_

After spending the night at Marinette's (and running as fast as he could to get his book bag back from his house), Adrien and Marinette were off to school together, as a couple, for the first time.

They couldn't help but smile wholeheartedly the whole way there - and hold hands as well.

"...And honestly, I think our shared love of old-fashioned musicals really completes us," Adrien said.

"Oh really? And nothing else?" Marinette laughed.

"Nope, I think that's it," Adrien said, smiling his stupidly-adorable oblivious smile, before snickering underneath his breath.

"AHEM!"

A loud throat clear in front of them made them look ahead, and a very surprised Alya Cesaire and Nino Lahiffe stood in front of them.

"When did-What the-when did THIS HAPPEN?!" Alya exclaimed.

"Yesterday," Marinette said. "We decided we've danced around each other long enough-"

"And basically just hung out for the rest of the day," Adrien said.

"OHMYGOSH!" Alya yelled. "Mari! My GIRL! OH I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!"

"Yo, congrats dude," Nino smiled.

"Thanks guys," Adrien beamed.

"We'll see you in class!" Marinette smiled, waving goodbye.

"B-But-Wait! I-I have QUESTIONS!" Alya exclaimed.

"Let em go have fun, babe," Nino laughed.

Adrien and Marinette continued smiling radiantly and walking through the courtyard, when they suddenly ran into another new couple - Luka and Kagami.

However, with their knowledge - Adrien knowing about Luka being Viperion, and Marinette knowing about Kagami being Ryuko - they were instantly freaked out.

"Woah, you two are together?" Luka smiled. "Awesome! Congrats man, and you too Mari."

"I do hope the both of you find the same level of happiness that we have," Kagami smiled widely, before walking off with her new boyfriend.

"Bu-Wha-How-" Marinette stuttered.

"If that's-Wait..." Adrien said.

The two looked at each other, and a soft "oh" escaped from their lips at the same time. The two laughed lightly, and began their walk through the school.

"Marinette!"

The voice of a very familiar blonde would've normally made Marinette roll her eyes in annoyance, now made her smile gently. As she turned her head slightly to the side, she saw Chloe walking towards her - with an unusually gentle expression on her face.

"I-Oh... y-you and Adrien are together?" she asked.

"Yep!" Adrien smiled.

"That... That's great," Chloe said. "A-Anyway, Marinette, at the end of school today, I need to tell you something. Preferably without your new boyfriend."

"Okay Chloe!" Marinette smiled. "Sounds great!"

Chloe nodded, and walked away.

"Wow... you think she's gonna start being awkward now that she's gonna start apologizing to people?" asked Adrien.

"I have no problem with that..." Marinette smiled.

"Me neither," Adrien smirked. "I find awkward attractive anyway..."

"Kitty!" Marinette hissed quietly, laughing as softly as possible.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kim popped up in between them, and he was laughing his head off.

"Gah! Kim?!" Marinette exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"

"Showing my love and appreciation for the new happy couple!" Kim laughed. "Adrien, dibs on best man!"

"Wh-What?!" Adrien exclaimed, blushing madly.

"And Marinette - I would recommend Ondine for your maid of honor," Kim continued, "but I have a bad feeling about what would happen to me if it wasn't Alya."

"Huh?!" Marinette exclaimed. "Kim, where's Max anyway?!"

"Oh, he's off somewhere with Sabrina," Kim chuckled. "Those two nerds got to talking and hit it off right away. Speaking of which, I better go find them! Toodles!"

As Kim raced off, Adrien and Marinette just stood in place, completely confused.

"Di-Did Kim just say 'toodles'?" Adrien asked.

"I think he did," Marinette muttered.

"HEY! YOU TWO!"

A sudden voice made the couple nearly jump out of their skins, and a very angry Alix Kubdel was walking towards them.

"Alix?" Adrien asked in confusion. "Wh-What's wrong?"

"Follow me!" Alix demanded.

The two followed the short, pink-haired girl inside of the room where she had stomped off to, and were completely confused.

"Why did you want us here?" Marinette wondered.

"I saw my future self again, and then I see QUEEN BEE come back!" Alix exclaimed. "Point being - if you two don't hand over my Miraculous soon, I'm gonna just make it myself."

The two were in complete shock.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this story! I've had so much fun writing it! :D As always, reviews are still greatly loved and appreciated! **

**Thanks for reading, everyone! See you soon! Love you all!**


End file.
